


Flames of Change

by knowlee_raven



Series: Flames [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: #au zelda wii u, #female link, #male sheik, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-06-04 22:57:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 82,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6678856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knowlee_raven/pseuds/knowlee_raven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the previous Hero is killed and the Sages discover that Ganondorf did something desperate to prevent his own death, they seal him away and appeal to the Goddesses to help undo what he did. But how they solved the problem was not how any of them expected. Takes place in an AU version of Zelda Wii U's (Breath of the Wild) world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Act of Desperation

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on my devART, FF.net, and Tumblr (links in profile)
> 
> This is a fanfic I've had up for a while on those previous profiles I just mentioned above and I have now finally posted it here. I have up to 8 chapters done and finished and I am currently working on the 9th chapter (technically 8th chapter since this is a prologue) and am hoping to post that here soon. For now though, I'm going to slowly post it up here until everything is up to date with the other postings of this on the other websites.
> 
> Also lastly since I know some of you guys are going to be wondering, the whole story takes place on the Child Timeline while the prologue takes place approximately 100 years after the events of Four Swords Adventures (FSA) and the main story takes place 200 years after the events of the prologue. Took me a while to figure this one out. (Yes, I'm THAT serious about fanfic writing... lol )
> 
> Lastly, enjoy!

~~

A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction

**Flames of Change**

_Prologue: Act of Desperation_

By: knowlee

~~

Lightning crashed and thunder rumbled all across the vast land of Hyrule. Every inch of the earth was being drenched by the heavens including that of the arid desert. An old, lone castle stood above the dunes of sand and in one of the upper rooms of the north end tower of the landmark was an old sorcerer clothed in auburn red robes. Ancient magical words spilled from the sorcerer’s lips and echoed off the walls of the small room that he was standing in. On the ground before him was a magical rune painted in blood and lit candles surrounded its border. Inside the rune were bones; bones that were said to belong to the one man that all of Hyrule hated the most: Ganondorf, the King of Thieves.

Words continued to pour from the sorcerer’s mouth and grew harsher as he was nearing the completion of his spell. It took him years of research to find the spell that was needed for this and he could feel that his hard work was about to pay off.

Once the final word was spoken, dark light burst from the borders of the circle and enveloped the bones lying in the middle. The sorcerer watched in shock as he watched a shadow within the dark light continue to grow until it became the size of a tall man. As soon as the shadow fell to the ground though, the light slowly dissipated until it was no more. What used to be bones lying in the center of the rune was now a man bearing red hair and dark armor.

The man looked up at him, his golden eyes gleaming in the candlelight.

The sorcerer smiled in glee to see that his spell worked and bowed deeply, “Lord Ganondorf.”

As the man continued to show his reverence for the imposing figure before him, the figure in question slowly stood up in order to allow himself to adjust to having legs again after being dead for some time. 

Once he had finally gotten to his feet, he looked down at the kneeling man and spoke, “Who are you and how is it that I'm alive?”

The sorcerer took that as permission to sit up from his position and looked up at the resurrected king. “Lord Ganondorf, I am but a humble dark sorcerer who has been working for many years to find a way to bring you back to the living. I became a follower of yours through my extensive research of your exploits. I felt disappointed that you were unable to attain your goals and because of that, I wanted to help you gain your revenge and take what you desire and deserve.”

Ganondorf eyed the man with discernment. “You are certainly willing to give your devotion to someone whom you've never met before. How can you be so sure that I am deserving of what I want?”

The sorcerer replied with a frown as he remembered his reason. “Because I too have been seen as a menace by a vast majority of Hyrule and the reason behind their hatred was related to something I couldn't help. So naturally when I reached out to gain the recognition I deserved and wanted, I was pushed aside callously. It caused me to fall into darkness and when I heard of you, the King of the Gerudo and of Thieves, and discovered that our lives were similar I decided then and there that I would find a way to bring you back to life and that together we would take our revenge on those who harmed us and needlessly shunned us in our times of need.”

The Gerudo King continued to look down on the man. He could understand his plight since he was correct in saying that the two were shunned by the denizens of Hyrule. The man obviously from what he could tell was due to his affinity for the dark arts and he, for being that a Gerudo. Although the Hylians had more of a reason to dislike him other than for his race. Many times he had tried to take over Hyrule in order to take their sacred relic as his own. His first attempt was to try and secure it for his people in order to bring them life and prosperity since their life in the desert was not a pleasant one. But he was thwarted before he could even attempt to do so. The second attempt was to try once more to take it for his people but once he arrived back in Hyrule, he was disgusted to learn that they were no longer anywhere to be found. That reason for the second attempt then shifted from one of gaining prosperity to one of gaining revenge against the people who had slaughtered his own for something they did not do. The punishment they dealt should have been given to him only.

Ganondorf frowned. Though that was not the only reason why he wasn't too sure about letting the man help him. He knew in the past he had one person who was willing to help him with his plans and that ultimately ended up in a failure. Not to mention the person in question ended up betraying him by bringing about his death after he had been impaled by the Master Sword that was wielded by that era's current Hero.

Speaking of that, how long had it been since he had last walked the earth? The place he once had inhabited before being resurrected didn't give him a good idea of how much time had passed since then. He would need to know how Hyrule had changed since then and what he would need to expect.

“How long have I been gone?” he asked.

The sorcerer was a little taken aback at his question, but got past his confusion quickly and began to sort out his thoughts. “It has been some time since your death. I'd say about approximately three centuries.”

Ganondorf looked away in surprise. He didn't think it would take him this long to be resurrected. Regardless of how he had gotten beat, he always found a way around his failure. Although his death during the last time he was around would've been permanent if it had not been for the man kneeling before him. Nonetheless, he had no doubt that there would followers of his that would attempt to find a way to bring him back somehow. Apparently though it seemed that their existence was waning.

His eyesight focused back on the sorcerer. They weren't entirely extinct yet. “Has anyone else attempted to continue what I started?”

His golden eyes spotted a chair over to his right sitting against the wall. He could feel his newly created body's energy slowing leaving him. Since he had just been reborn this body wasn't used to doing much yet. He walked over to it.

The sorcerer spoke as he sat down. “There was one man who tried and he was born to the Gerudo race, such as yourself, and was given your namesake. He did attempt to take over Hyrule, but ultimately failed. That was at least 100 years ago. Since then there has been no one else.”

Ganondorf was surprised and mildly glad to hear the name of his people. “Ah, so my race do live again I see. Last I recall they were wiped out by the Hylians when that wretched Kokiri boy warned the royals of my plot.”

He loathed that child as well as the other one who came after him. He wondered if there was a connection between the two. Another thought appeared in the back of his mind as his wonderings continued.

“Yes, your race does live again. They weren't completely wiped out during that incident many years ago and they have -”

Ganondorf interrupted. “Who was it that thwarted the other 'Ganondorf's' plan?”

Taking no affront to the interruption, the sorcerer loyally answered. “All of the texts that I've read tend to speak of what he was wearing namely that of a green tunic. They also speak of other colors along with that one. Each account is slightly different, but the majority of the stories do agree that green was one of the primary colors of the cloth he wore. And according to the census, the name of that man from that era was 'Link'.”

Ganondorf growled. It seemed that no matter what force came upon Hyrule some kid bearing that description always ended up stopping it. He was beginning to hate that color after personally seeing himself being stopped by two people who bore it.

“So I suppose its safe to say that no matter who it is that plans to oppose Hyrule, a 'kid' wearing green and called Link will always stop him.”

“So it would seem.” he nodded.

The Gerudo sighed in irritation. So no matter what he planned, he was doomed before he could even set his plan in motion. Yes, he could make excellent progress and have it appear as if were going along smoothly and that he was winning, but ultimately it would all be for naught.  He laughed slightly when memories of his past attempts came to him. The people of Hyrule certainly had fate on their side.

Ganondorf continued to sit in the chair and began to get lost in his thoughts as he stared at the wall that was across from him. He was trying to come up with some kind of plan to finally gain what he so desired and to keep one step ahead of the opposition. It seemed impossible, but he definitely knew that he had never been the kind of person to give up so easily. He considered this to be a challenge. A challenge that he would surely find a solution for.

Then as if one of the lightning bolts flashing outside hit him suddenly, he came up with an idea. It was one that was a bit risky and relied mostly on chance but nonetheless it was a plan. He smiled. Perhaps he could tip the scales in his favor and away from Hyrule and its precious Hero.

He chuckled evilly. Yes, it could work. But, Ganondorf looked back over to the sorcerer, to ensure its success he would need some help. One part of the plan did involve a certain kind of magic and though he possessed magical skill and prowess, he was a bit lacking in that aspect of the mythical art. And as much as he was hesitant to have someone help him, especially in regards to what happened last time, he knew that in order to for it work, he needed this man.

“Can I trust you?” The sorcerer seemed surprised at the question coming from the Gerudo. “Last time I had a subordinate, they betrayed me in the end.”

The sorcerer wasn't too sure of who he was talking about, but there was one thing he knew and that was that he could never dream of betraying him. The Gerudo reminded him far too much of himself and he knew that if he were to do such a thing that it would inevitably cause him to live in guilt for the rest of his life.

He bowed deeply to Ganondorf in order to show how much he was willing to follow him. “I am at your service, Lord Ganondorf. I understand that you are hesitant to work with me, but I can assure you that you can trust me fully. And in the event if I do ever betray you, which I promise will _not_ happen, then you can do with me whatever it is that you wish.”

Ganondorf in spite of himself was impressed. To offer up one's life already without hesitance surely had to say something. Nonetheless, he would still watch his back around the man. He didn't like the idea of being fooled twice.

“Very well. I shall allow you to help me.” He stood up from the chair to walk towards the sorcerer. He motioned for the man to rise once he was standing before him.

He spoke again. “In order to assure my victory, I'll need to do a few things. One of these things you will do for me personally. It is essential to ensure that I will see this through to the end. The other two things are merely fail safes in the event that another failure comes about.”

As the sorcerer finished rising from the ground to stand before his now leader he asked, “And what are those things, Master, if I may ask?”

Ganondorf smirked. “In due time I will tell you. First though I'll need you to bring me to my other followers, presuming that there are others left other than you.”

A smile formed on the sorcerer's face. “Yes sir, there are many others.”

The Gerudo nodded. “Excellent! I will see that they know that I have returned and will seek their assistance on the other part of my plan. Then I shall have you do your part to ensure my success. Then lastly...”

Ganondorf turned to look out a window located on his right to see the thunderstorm howling outside the tower as an excited grin appeared on his face, “...We shall start a war.”

~~

_[A few months later…]_

Ganondorf stared down the blood-stained fields of Hyrule where he watched as his many followers were waging war against the inhabitants of the land. Gorons, Zora, Gerudo, Hylians and Sheikah were fighting against his army of monsters and devoted followers who possessed powerful magic. He felt slightly disappointed that the Gerudo forces did not follow him, but at the same time he could not blame them for all that he had inadvertently put them through. In addition he knew that they were not the same tribe he grew up with and was close to so he did not feel guilty fighting them. The tribe now was completely different from the tribe then.

Nonetheless, he smirked as he watched the events unfold before him. It was all going according to plan. He didn't know or care if his army won this battle, but as long as it enabled him to get what he needed to finish the war, overall everything would fall into his favor.

Suddenly he sensed the presence of his faithful sorcerer appear next to him. Even though he still was guarded around the man, the loyalty and actions that he had shown during these past few months had proven that he was fully devoted to his cause. And as he had learned long ago that actions do speak louder than words.

“So, did you succeed?” He asked the sorcerer.

Ganondorf had given him a mission that consisted of him creating a potion that would allow one aspect of his plan to work. This aspect was a very important one and in order for the rest of it to succeed, it was vital that it worked.

The sorcerer nodded and produced a bottle containing a white liquid within it. “Once you drink this, you will gain that which you desire.”

The Gerudo grabbed the bottle and pulled the top off to inspect its contents. He looked back at the sorcerer with a stern look. “You are sure this will work?”

The sorcerer nodded again. “I am quite sure. I triple checked the spell and ingredients to ensure that everything was correct. It _will_ work.”

Ganondorf looked back down at the container and raised it to his lips slowly. Although the sorcerer had proven his worth, he was still wary of him. Things could change that quickly. “It had better otherwise I _will_ find a way to drag you down with me.”

He downed the contents in one gulp and threw the container onto the ground where it shattered into pieces. He felt no different from before after drinking it, but there would be no way to know for certain until the moment came where he would need it.

Ganondorf searched the battleground again and this time he found the Princess herself leading Hylian reinforcements to try and help stem the tide against his army. He smirked. The moment he was waiting for was finally near. This also meant that he had to move quickly. If what he thought was correct, the princess was just a distraction to keep him occupied while the Hero made his move.

He quickly turned away from the battlefield and motioned for the sorcerer to follow. Before he completely walked away from the field though, he made sure to signal to the head Moblin to take charge of the battle in his absence.

The two had walked a good bit away when Ganondorf stopped suddenly and turned back to the sorcerer who stopped just as he did. He hoped that the sorcerer didn't ask too many questions otherwise he would miss his window of opportunity.

“I need you to take me to the Temple of Time.”

The sorcerer's eyes widened at the demand. “The Temple of Time? But it's been in ruins for some time now, why would you wish to go there?”

Ganondorf groaned. He didn't want to deal with questions right now. He was short on time. He decided to answer anyway though, if only to hurry up and get on to his destination. “Do you know of the Sacred Realm and the Triforce?”

The other man's eyes widened further at what the Gerudo said, “I have heard of the legends, but I wasn't entirely sure of their authenticity. ...So it's real?”

Ganondorf nodded once, eager to get this history lesson over with. “Yes, it is real and because of it I need to get to the Temple of Time as soon as possible. If what I suspect is going to happen is correct, I will need to get there as soon as possible.”

The sorcerer pulled out a piece of chalk that would be necessary to draw a rune for a teleportation spell, but he still found himself to be curious about Ganondorf's demand. “If you don't mind me asking, sire, what is it that you suspect is going to happen?”

The Gerudo groaned in annoyance. This was why he was hoping to avoid these unnecessary questions, every second he spent explaining was another second lost. But seeing as the man was now busy drawing a teleportation rune on the ground, he couldn't say that he was not doing something to hurry the request along. 

“If you familiar with the legends as you claim, then you should know that there is a connection between the Sacred Realm and the Temple of Time. This connection is the reason why I must go there. The Sacred Realm has something that I need to complete my conquest.” Ganondorf looked down at this right hand where the symbol of the Triforce used to lay but now it no longer did. “It was something that I once had but now I no longer have it within my possession. I must gain it back, but I cannot enter the Sacred Realm without the help of the Hero of this era. Only he can open the gateway. Then once it is open, I can enter freely.”

“I see.” The sorcerer finished adding the final touches to the rune he had been drawing. After finishing, he and Ganondorf stepped into the mark and he began to remember the words needed for the spell. “You seem to be certain of this. I take it that this has already happened before…?”

Ganondorf laughed as the sorcerer began chanting. “Not like this it hasn't, but I do know from my last encounter with the Hero is that he and the Temple of Time are connected in some way since the Master Sword, which he used last to slay me, lays within it. Our last confrontation ended with him wielding it, so I see no reason why it should be any different this time around. But this time though, it will be him who falls instead of me.”

The two then disappeared from the field in a flash of bright light.

~~

Once the light dissipated around them, the two beings found themselves surrounded by ruins of what Ganondorf presumed once formed the Temple of Time. He felt somewhat disappointed to find it in such a state. The last time he was in this same spot was many years ago back when he had attempted to find a way into the Sacred Realm only to find his way blocked by the Door of Time. Now though, he thought as he looked towards the location of where door once stood, it had crumbled away and left the entrance to the place where the legendary Master Sword slept wide open.

But even though the door was now removed from his list of obstacles, he still had to wait for the boy to appear and lift the sword from its pedestal. Only then would the gateway open.

“Master! I hear someone coming!” the sorcerer quickly whispered to him.

Sure enough he could hear the tell-tale sounds of footsteps approaching the two. The two quickly used their magic to hide their presence from whomever was getting closer. They watched with bated breath as the person who they sensed earlier entered the ruins.

It was none other than the Hero.

Ganondorf smirked in amusement as he noticed that not much had changed in this Hero's incarnation when compared to the previous ones he had encountered. He just looked just like his predecessors with the same green tunic and stupid greet hat. He also bore the same physical appearance as the previous two he met albeit a few things were different such as the hair color and other things, but overall everything looked the same. He would've thought that after all this time, the Goddesses would've been a bit more original in their design of the new incarnation of the Hero. Obviously creativity wasn't their strong point.

The two watched as the Hero quickly moved through the ruins of the temple to get to the area that housed the Master Sword. They followed behind him, being very careful to keep quiet lest they got caught before the opportune moment arose.

The smirk on Ganondorf's face grew into a smile. He was very close to getting back what once belonged to him. He could almost feel the familiar power coursing through his veins. The two stopped walking once the Hero reached the pedestal where the sword lay. The Hero laid his hands on the hilt of the blade and began to lift it.

It took some struggling, but with one final tug, the Hero managed to finally lift the blade from its pedestal. Ganondorf held his breath as he watched the sword lift completely from the stone and a blue glow began to form around the unsuspecting Hero. In his delight, an evil laughter erupted from his throat. The time had come…

The Hero quickly turned to find the source of the dark laughter and a mixture of shock and fear came over his face as he saw the now uncloaked man who started this war. He had no time to break himself from his stupor though for Ganondorf had quickly began to make his way to the portal that had opened. Ganondorf knew he had no time to waste for it would close soon.

He heard the sorcerer quickly cast a few spells at the young Hero to distract him from attempting to keep Ganondorf away from the portal. The spells did help though for he finally entered the bright light and found himself teleported to another plane of existence.

When the light went away, he was standing on a platform that had water flowing from an unknown source located in its center. On each corner of the platform were six symbols that he recognized to be the crests of the sages since he could recall seeing them on their cloaks when they had banished them to the Twilight Realm centuries ago.

And then, directly in its center, floating above the symbol that showed the other piece’s companions in their combined form was the whole reason why he came here, the Triforce of Power. He smiled as he saw it. It felt like he was seeing an old friend again.

With his eyes set firmly on his goal, he began to make his way towards the sacred relic. Shortly after starting though, he stopped himself short for before him blocking his way to the Triforce piece was the sage that he had killed previously glaring at him in defiance. He huffed in irritation. Should've known that they wouldn't have made it easy for him.

The Gerudo took in the sight. “I thought I had killed you ages ago. Apparently I forgot to take into account your kind's immortal state.”

The Sage of Water continued to glare at him as it spoke, “You only temporarily killed my physical form. I merely returned to this realm to heal from my wounds and work to regain back my form. I certainly never wanted to see you again. Last I recall, my brethren told me that they had sent you to the Twilight Realm but that you did find your way out sometime afterward. You are certainly too stubborn for your own good, Ganondorf.”

He laughed. “Perhaps so, but at the same time, I've always been taught to never give up on something especially if it is something I desire.”

The Water Sage gathered some water from the platform below them into their hands. “Sometimes though, we cannot always get what we want. Such is the case for you and the Triforce.”

Ganondorf gathered his magic as well. “I don't see why you think you can fight me. I will take you down just as easily as I did last time.”

The sage scoffed. “That's highly unlikely. You are not as powerful as you were back then, Ganondorf.”

Ganondorf chucked. “We shall see...”

Before Ganondorf could send his first attack, the Water Sage made its move. It threw the water it had gathered in his hands towards the Gerudo. Ganondorf barely managed to dodge the attack and the water struck the spot where he was just standing moments before. He quickly retaliated by throwing the magic that he had gathered at the sage.

In response the sage quickly brought up a wall of water in front of it to protect itself from the oncoming attack. After defending itself, it quickly went back on the offense to prevent the Gerudo King from getting any closer to the Triforce piece. It grabbed more water from the platform and threw it once more at him, this time though instead of making it stay liquid it became solid ice.

Ganondorf dodged what icicles he could, but for those he knew that he could not, he used his magic to destroy them. He took a few of the icicles that remained after the onslaught and redirected them with his magic to go back towards the sage. During the time that the sage spent blocking the frozen water, Ganondorf quickly made his way to the Triforce piece.

The sage quickly saw what he was attempting to do, so it made a last ditch effort to prevent him from getting any closer by moving the water beneath them to form a giant wave and motioned it towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, Ganondorf saw this and quickly made a last minute decision to leap over the water.

This apparently was something that the sage didn't see coming for right after Ganondorf landed back onto the platform, it was unable to properly defend itself against the powerful ball of magic he threw immediately afterward to stop it from attacking again.

Ganondorf didn't take long to take in his victory for he knew that it was probably only a matter of time before someone else showed up. He turned to his right to find the glowing Triforce of Power and walked over to it. A smile formed on his face as he reached out his right hand towards the piece. Upon touching it, he felt it the power being to course through him and the piece slowly absorbed into his body. Upon seeing it fully disappear, he looked down at his hand to see the familiar symbol of the Triforce glowing. His smile grew bigger. Now he could finally finish what he had started.

He turned to look back at the fallen sage who was now kneeling on the platform trying to recover from Ganondorf's last attack. “Looks like I was able to take you down as easily as last time. And now,” he brought up his right hand to show to the sage the golden symbol of the Triforce, “I have all the Power I need to continue my vengeance.”

Ganondorf turned his right hand's palm towards the sage and began forming magical energy that was now augmented more with the Triforce of Power. He would end this sage permanently. Once the energy reached its zenith, he released it towards the defenseless Water Sage.

Before the magic could connect though, someone quickly ran up in front of the sage and blocked the attack. Ganondorf's eyes narrowed at the intruder and after the smoke from the blocked attack went away, he saw the familiar Hylian shield and immediately knew who it was. He smirked. He should've known.

“Ah, nice to see that you finally join us, Hero...”

Said man stood up from the position he used to protect the sage from the magical onslaught and stood up before him. The man was wearing the familiar tunic of green and had the same green hat atop his head. The Hylian Shield he held in his right hand and in his left, the blade of evil's bane: The Master Sword. The Hero glared at Ganondorf and pointed the tip of the blade towards him. “Your evil shall end today!”

Ganondorf laughed loudly. “How many times have I heard that one?”

He stopped his laughter and looked towards the man. Now he would be able to put his servant's potion to the test to see if it truly worked. He materialized a blade in his right hand and entered a fighting position. It was time to let the show begin.

The Hero made the first move. He lunged towards Ganondorf and began to make furious swipes with his blade which Ganondorf found quite easy to parry. He laughed. The Hero was losing his edge. From what he could tell from this Hero's fighting style was that he was cocky, arrogant even.

Granted yes, he was too, Ganondorf could admit, but after his last defeat at the hands of a Hero he learned that he couldn't rely on his Triforce for everything. It did help yes, hence why he came to reclaim his piece, but ultimately it came down to how one used it. It was a hard lesson that he had learned and it seemed that after the last two times the Hero had bested him, that the young man hadn't received this harsh lesson like he had.

Ganondorf smirked as he parried another blow from the young Hero. Well, he would certainly be glad to teach it to him. After blocking a few more hits from the boy's blade, Ganondorf made his move and began to attack with swipes of his own. His smirk grew wider as he saw how the boy was quickly getting overwhelmed by his strength and was struggling to find an opening.

The boy quickly dodged one of his last attacks by side stepping away from him and quickly moved in to strike. But Ganondorf followed his lead and side stepped his attack and swung back his sword to give him a fatal attack in his face. The Hero saw this coming though and managed to duck under the attack and roll out of the way at the last second.

Upon returning to a standing position, the Hero quickly turned around and thrust the Master Sword towards his opponent. Ganondorf's eyes widened once he turned around to face the Hero for he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge or parry this one. He cried out as he felt the sword plunge into his chest and out the other side to create a deep cut that would be fatal. His sword fell to the ground as he lost his grip on its handle.

Ganondorf saw the triumphant smirk grace the Hero's lips as he watched him sink to his knees in pain and to began to gasp to catch his breath. The Gerudo was surprised. Didn't the potion work? He could taste the blood on his tongue as he frowned in anger as he knew that know he would have to find that pathetic excuse for a sorcerer and make him pay for failing him.

He heard the Hero's footsteps grow closer to him and he could see in his peripheral vision that the boy was preparing his final attack. No, he couldn't fail here! Not when he was so close! He desperately tried to hang on to what little life he held within him.

But before the Hero could bring his sword down, Ganondorf felt himself experience a strange sensation. He glanced down at the hole in his chest and to his surprise and delight he saw it instantly heal itself and in just mere moments it appeared as if he had never received the wound!

Ganondorf smirked in triumph. Looks like the sorcerer wasn't lying about his concoction after all. He would need to find someway to repay him once he found a way out of the Sacred Realm, but first…

The Gerudo quickly reached to grasp his sword again and to the Hero and Sage's shock, he returned the favor by thrusting his sword through the young boy's stomach before the Master Sword had a chance to touch him. He pulled the sword out of the Hero roughly and watched as he fell to the floor, blood gushing out of his wound.

The Hero was struggling to breathe, “But...how?”

Ganondorf smiled. He should at least let his adversary know why he bested him. Although the boy annoyed him greatly, he did find him to be a worthy opponent. “Silly boy. It's simple, really. No Hero can defeat me!”

Ganondorf watched as the light slowly disappeared from the boy's eyes and his last breath passed through his lips. He felt slightly bittersweet about knowing that he had finally triumphed over the Hero. He was thrilled to have won the battle between the two, but he also felt disappointed that his rival had now passed onto the next world. Oh well, he was certain the two would cross paths again eventually.

Giving one last glance at the dead body of his adversary, he turned now to look back at the Water Sage who was still in shock over what had just transpired before it. As Ganondorf began to walk towards it though, it managed to come out of its stupor and quickly got to its feet.

“How did you-? What have you done, Ganondorf?!”

He threw his head back and laughed deeply. Then he looked back down at the sage, “It's just as I said to the boy earlier before he passed, 'No Hero can defeat me'.” He pointed his blade at the sage. “Looks like I have finally bested you and the goddesses. Hmm, might need to be more original next time.”

Ganondorf brought the arm holding his sword back and began to swing it at the defenseless sage before it had a chance to attack. Right before the sword could connect with the sage's essence though, a waterspout formed up and wrapped itself around his blade and then quickly encased it in ice. The ice continued to spread down the sword and before Ganondorf could pull his hand away from the hilt, the ice formed over his hand, preventing him from moving it.

Not wanting to give up so easily, Ganondorf quickly brought his other arm up to point his hand at the sage to attack it with magic, but before he could fully lift it another waterspout grabbed it and formed ice over that one as well.

“What the-?”

Before he could figure out his next move, the Gerudo saw colored orbs appear within the chamber and float over the colored platforms they corresponded with. Almost instantly he saw the five missing sages appear on top of their symbols. The Water Sage saw this as well and stepped backwards onto the symbol representing it.

“Though we cannot kill you, Ganondorf, we will make sure that you are unable to harm anyone again. You shall be sealed forever within the deepest parts of the Sacred Realm, where no one shall be able to find you. Nor shall there be a way for you to get out.”  
Each sage lifted up their arms to form their respective stances. Before them their magic pooled together to form a colored orb representing their power. Ganondorf watched in fear as he realized what was about to happen. He needed to do something quick. He tried to move his arms and budge the ice but it was to no avail. He quickly tried to think of something else. 

Suddenly an idea came to him. It was definitely a long shot, but it was the only chance he had at this moment. He closed his eyes to concentrate. Once his eyes opened back up he smirked, it had worked.

At the same time, Ganondorf felt the sages' powers connect with his body and he felt the sensation of magic roping around him. The ice encased around his arms melted and the tendrils of magic pulled him down onto the platform below his feet. It began to drag him further down.

He laughed as he looked around to see the sages all glaring at him, eager to see him be gone forever. It was then that Ganondorf decided to use his last moments in this realm to give the sages a warning. Not one that would give away too much information, but one that would let them know that he wasn't so easily gotten rid of. It was something that they should've known by now after his many returns.

“It is true that you cannot kill me, but I promise you this sages. Even the one who you've come to rely on to destroy me cannot do this for you. You can see it for yourselves by gazing at his dead body. I am immortal. As long as the Triforce exists within this world and as long as there are men who share the same goals as me, I shall continue to rise. This prison you have erected for me will not hold me for too long. This you can be assured of.” Ganondorf smiled. “You _will_ see me again...”

The Gerudo continued to laugh as the rest of his body was pulled into the void deep within the Sacred Realm.

The six sages looked down at the spot where Ganondorf once was; five of them were puzzled by one of the statements he made. What did Ganondorf mean by, ' _Even the one who you've come to rely on to destroy me cannot do this for you._ '? They all looked up at the Water Sage.

The Forest Sage spoke, “What did he mean by that?”

The Water Sage responded by looking over at the body of the once proud Hero. Just like the others it too was confused by Ganondorf's words, but as it recalled the moments before his sealing, it had an idea of what he was hinting at. The sage walked off of its designated platform and began walking over to the Hero's body.

“During the battle, the Hero gave the Gerudo King a fatal blow. It was one that would have killed him after a short time. He was about to finish him off when I watched as the wound that Ganondorf had received heal almost instantly. Then he killed the Hero.”

The Water Sage stood next to the body and watched as it began to glow. Then slowly the spirit containing the soul of the Hero began to float out of the body. Once it reached the Water Sage's waist it reached out with its hands to gently hold the fragile spirit. It found itself feeling sad to see another holder of the spirit die an early death. Very few Heroes ever found true joy in their lives after fulfilling their destiny and sadly this one never got the chance to even get that far.

The other sages were shocked to hear the words that came out of the Water Sage's mouth. The Spirit Sage spoke, “So you're saying that Ganondorf was unable to be killed?”

The Water Sage turned its attention from the glowing orb and looked at the sage. “Unfortunately yes. I don't know what Ganondorf did to prevent his own death, but whatever he did, this doesn't bode well for the future incarnation of the Hero when and if Ganondorf finds his way around the seal.”

The Fire Sage spoke angrily as the full implication of what Ganondorf had done had been realized, “But if Ganondorf cannot be killed by the Hero, then that means...”

“...Hyrule is doomed.” The Shadow Sage finished the others' thoughts. The other sages groaned and sighed in irritation as they racked their minds to find a solution to this huge problem. Now what was Hyrule going to do? With the only way of defeating Ganondorf now null and void, whenever the Gerudo King did find his way out of his prison, he would be free to do whatever he wanted. None of them even wished to think on that.

The Water Sage looked back down at the spirit. It thought back to the earlier battle to try and see if there were any clues that Ganondorf may have left behind that hinted to a way around this dilemma. It continued to ponder on this until a fleeting memory of what Ganondorf had said came to it. Surely it wasn't that simple, but…

It smiled as it continued to look at the glowing orb. Perhaps though, it could work. “The Hero cannot defeat him.”

The other sages turned their attentions to the Water Sage. The Light Sage spoke while looking at Water, causing the Fire, Shadow, Spirit and Forest Sages to look over at Light, “Yes, we have established this already, Water. Unless… you have thought of something.”

At this the remaining sages looked back at the Water Sage. Did it think of a solution? The Water Sage nodded and turned to look away from the Hero's Spirit and towards its comrades. “Ganondorf himself said, ' _No Hero can defeat me._ ' Well, what if it wasn't a Hero who sent to defeat him the next time around?”

The other sages looked confused. What did the Water Sage mean? How can someone who wasn't a Hero defeat Ganondorf when only someone who possessed the Hero's Spirit could do so? Then the realization of what it was suggesting came to them suddenly.

“Wait, you don't mean-?” The Fire Sage spoke, voicing the thoughts that the others had crossing through their minds.

“But, its never been done before! How can we even be so sure that it could possibly work?” The Spirit Sage continued.

The Water Sage could agree that it certainly was a long shot, but it was a shot nonetheless. “The goddesses can surely set this in motion. We only need to pray and ask them for it. It may seem to be a farfetched idea, but as of right now, it is the only one we have.”

The Light Sage nodded in agreement. “Indeed. I guess the only thing we can do now is pray that the Goddesses will answer our prayers for this. We also need to help get preparations in place for when the new Hero comes along. We need this one to be ready for anything that Ganondorf might have planned. But first though,” it looked over at the former Hero and closed its eyes in sadness and reverence, “we need to inform the Princess of what occurred here and we need to give this young man a proper Hero's burial. He deserves that much.”

The Fire, Forest, Spirit and Shadow Sages nodded and began to walk over to the Hero's body to help the Light Sage with the preparations. The Water Sage watched its companions for a few moments before turning its attentions back to the Hero's Spirit. It smiled wearily as it spoke. “Rest up while you can. You will have quite a journey ahead of you when you return to the living. Sleep tight, Hero. You have earned it.”

And with that, the Water Sage let go of the spirit to allow it to move onto the afterlife. The sage could only hope that the next Hero would be blessed to be one of the few that would live on to have a joyous life after fulfilling its destiny. It would definitely pray that the next one would succeed in both endeavors.


	2. Chapter 1 - Beginning of a Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every journey begins with one step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also posted on my devART, FF.net, and Tumblr (links in profile)
> 
> ~~
> 
> On a random note, one of the characters that is revealed here in this chapter has not been inspired by a recent character addition in the Zelda series, technically its a spin-off but its still relevant. This character was thought of before this new characters addition. So they are two entirely different characters.
> 
> And as for as for another character that appears in here, yes, I do realize that canonically this person is female, but for the purposes of this story they are male. This male version is an entirely different version from his female, and canonical, counterpart although they do retain some similarities. I hope to explain in full detail more about this later on as both the female and male versions exist in how I have this figured out. But unfortunately that won't be explained until much later, not until the sequel to this to be precise.
> 
> Enjoy!

~~

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**

Flames of Change

_Chapter 1: Beginning of a Journey_

By: knowlee

~~

_[180 years later…]_

A light drizzle of rain fell onto the streets that surrounded Hyrule Castle. Very few people were out and about during this dark night that had this dreary weather. They were the ones that were brave enough to step outside their dry, warm homes to do anything especially since many of the merchants that were out earlier during the day had closed up shop and headed home. Amongst those people that were out were the soldiers that had no choice in the matter since they had a job to do and were posted at the entrances to the town surrounding the castle.

There was one person though who was walking quickly and quietly along the streets. They wore a hood over their head both to protect themselves from the elements, but also to prevent themselves from being seen and recognized. The hood wasn't just there for a disguise, it was also being used to hide and protect the package that the person was carrying.

It was a baby.

The baby was sound asleep, curled up against the person's chest. The person holding it briefly looked down to ensure that the baby was still safe in their arms before covering it back up again with their cloak. They looked around to see if anyone was watching or following them and when they saw that they were in the clear they quickly turned down an alleyway that was near them.

The person continued to walk down the alleyway until it came across a building that the person recognized as the one they were searching for. Their eyes found the door to the building and walked over to it. After looking over their shoulder once more to confirm again that no one was following them, they brought out their right hand and knocked on the door.

A few moments passed before the door opened to reveal a round heavy-set woman who had dark hair and golden eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight of the figure in the doorway and a look of fear came over face as she began to wonder if she should just close the door and walk away.

Before she could decide what to do though, the figure spoke, “Please, can I come in?”

Suddenly a cry came from under the figure's cloak and the woman watched as the figure pushed the cloth away to reveal a young child being held in their arms. The babe was beginning to cry and she could see that the figure was beginning to look distressed as if they weren't sure what to do to quiet the baby.

The woman took pity on the figure and decided then to allow them into her home. “Come in, come in! Can't let that baby catch a chill now can we?”

Once the figure was inside, the woman shut the door behind them and guided them over to a chair where she motioned for them to sit. Once the person sat down, the baby held within their arms began to cry. The figure tried to hush the child in order to prevent the noise from carrying throughout the house. It was too late though for the sound awoke a man who was about to fall asleep in the next room. Wondering what the noise was, he got up from the bed and entered the main room.

What he saw was shocking to him. He saw his wife taking a young baby from the arms of a mysterious figure who was sitting at the table. His wife cradled the child and began to speak to it softly in an effort to quiet it. Shortly after doing this, the baby eased back to sleep.

“Telma? What's going on here?”

Telma, the woman holding the baby, and the figure sitting in the chair looked over at the man. Telma spoke, “Oh honey, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to wake you. This poor dear was apparently lost in the rain and when I saw that they had a child I couldn't turn them away.”

The man nodded. He knew his wife held a big heart towards children. Especially since they had found out a few years ago that they couldn't have any on their own due to her having been born barren. That day was a sad one for the both of them because they really wished to have one of their own. But that destiny wasn't in the stars for them.

He walked over to the table to get a closer look at the figure whom his wife welcomed into their home. He could tell by the figure's stature and size that it appeared as if they were a woman and since they were carrying a young child around, this definitely confirmed what he suspected. He sat down in the chair across from them. “Who are you?”

The figure seemed to be anticipating this question since they didn't try to deter it or avoid it entirely. Instead the figure brought its hands up out of the cloak surrounding their body and brought it up to the hood that was covering their face and removed it.

The man and woman gasped as they realized who the figure was. It couldn't be-? The man began to speak, “You're-?!”

The figure held up their hand quickly and spoke, “Please, don't. I'm not going to be staying long. I need to ask a favor of you both.”

He and Telma looked at each other, curious as to what favor this person was asking of them. Then they both looked at the child. Did it have something to do with the baby they were holding?

The figure realized that they figured out what the favor pertained to and moved their hand back down to their lap. “Yes, it is about the baby.” Telma and the man looked back over at the figure as it seemed to be struggling with saying the words they wished to say. “I… I need you to watch over her.”

“Her?” Telma asked taking a closer look at the babe in her arms. She moved the blanket that the person had wrapped around it off of the child's head to see its wispy blonde hair. The child stretched its arms out and opened its eyes upon feeling the cloth move and looked at Telma. The girl had blue eyes and, Telma's eyes widened, on one of its hands lay the symbol of the Triforce. She jerked her head back at the figure.

“Is she… is she your daughter?!”

The figure nodded. “Yes, she was born a few days ago.”

Telma's husband looked at the figure. “Then why are you with her here?”

The figure took a deep breath in order to steel their nerves. It was now or never. “I cannot go into detail about it, but I know that someone close to me is going to make a move to harm my child. I can't allow that to happen. I would keep her myself and try to protect her that way, but I know that the best way to ensure my child's safety is to give her to someone to watch and protect. That is the only way to make sure that the person who is going to harm her may never get the chance.”

The man's eyes widened. “Wait, are you saying that you wish for us to raise your child?!”

The figure nodded again. Telma spoke, “But why us? Why not someone you know personally that you know could protect her?”

The figure sighed. “There is no one else that can. It was revealed to me that she would be safe within your care and I know that I can trust my source.” Telma watched as her husband stood up from his chair to look down at the baby in her arms. The child smiled up at him and the sight made both of their hearts melt.

“Besides,” the two looked away from the girl and at the figure. “I don't think there is anyone I can trust that I know personally.”

Telma frowned at this. She hated to know that this figure had to travel all this way just to find two perfect strangers to watch over their child when no one that they knew could be trusted to do this task for them. She looked at her husband and she saw that he had come to the same conclusion as her. They had to do this. Not just for the person who sought them out, but for the young girl who she held within her arms.

She looked back at the figure. “We'll take care of the child for you. You can trust us.”

The figure smiled at this and stood up from the chair they were sitting in. “Thank you. I know that I can trust you with this. You can name her whatever you like. I was going to give her a name that had been passed down through the generations, but I felt that would have made it quite obvious as to who she was.”

The person walked over to look at their daughter. The girl looked back at them causing the person's smile to grow wider. The figure reached out to touch the child's hand. “The only thing I ask though besides to take care of her is to keep her lineage a secret. Let no one know of the mark on her hand. If word of what was there was to get out, I would fear for her life. Also,” the figure's smile fell at this and they took a deep breath, “do now let her know of me until the time is right. Until then for all she knows, you two are her parents.”

Telma and her husband noticed a bright light coming from the child and as they looked down at her, they saw magic flowing from the figure's hand and into the child. They watched as the physical features the child possessed change into different colors. Once the process was done, the magic stopped flowing and the figure removed their hand.

“Why did you do that?” Telma heard her husband ask.

“I changed her outside looks to help hide who she is and to keep up appearances. Now she will truly look like she is your child.” the figure answered.

Before the two could ask the figure any more questions, it quickly took one last look at the child, gave it a kiss on the forehead and whispered to their daughter. “I love you.”

And just as quietly and quickly as the person came into their lives, they turned around, placed the hood back over their head and left out the door that they entered earlier, leaving these two perfect strangers to raise their child when they could not.

~~

_[20 years later…]_

The Oocca Town Marketplace was busy with the hustle and bustle of its residents and visitors from villages that were spread across the vast land of Hyrule. Merchants lined the streets hawking their wares and a few traders could be found at some booths trying to get ample supplies to bring back to their respective homes and villages. Amongst the booths that just contained items for purchase, there were a few that were there to provide entertainment and fun for residents and travelers alike. One of which was an archery booth that contained prizes that could be won upon reaching certain scores or winning matches. One person could play it solo or it could become a competition between two or more people.

And currently there was one going on at that moment.

Two young men, both in their late teens were competing against one another to see which one was better. There wasn't really a prize set that would be given to the winner, but it was a matter of pride to be the one to have the bragging rights. One of the men bore light brunette hair and brown eyes. He was a skinny fellow but did have some muscle on him and he was determined to win against the other man. The other man had blue hair and green eyes and was boasting to the other that he would be the one winning the competition.

The other man said nothing back to him, but tried to put his focus onto the targets located in front of him. The blue-haired man saw this and decided to do the same. The owner of the booth began the countdown.

After three seconds exactly, the owner cried out, “GO!”

The two quickly began to release their arrows. There were thirty targets in total and in order to get a perfect score they would need to hit every single one. What made the game more interesting though was that there was a time limit. They only had one minute to hit them all. And that minute made things quite challenging.

The time was quickly counting down for the two contestants. The skinny man had hit a good portion of the targets, but it was obvious though that archery was not his strong point and that in order to get better he would need to practice a lot. The blue-haired man though was decimating him. He had hit nearly every single target. He did miss a few times, but he was obviously the better of the two archers.

Suddenly the bell rang out. The time was up.

The scores between the two were counted. The end result was 27 to 23 with the blue-haired man being the winner of the match. Once this information was out, the winner began his boasting once again. “Whoo! I am the CHAMPION of this game. No one can beat me in archery! NO ONE!”

His load boasting caught the ears of a young woman who happened to be walking by the booth at that time. Her curiosity peaked, she walked towards the booth and upon getting closer she saw that the blue-haired man who was standing near it was the owner of the voice she heard earlier. She watched as he began to brag and berate the other man, who from what she could surmise was his opponent and based on his previous words, he had beaten him in an archery match.

She smirked at the knowledge she just learned. She stepped forward.

The blue-haired man continued to boast as she drew closer to him. It even got to the point where he was asking the crowd for another challenger. “Alright what sorry sap wants to challenge me next?”

“How about me?”

The words come tumbling out of her mouth before she realized it, but she knew that she had the skill to back up what she was saying. She had studied archery for years and had it down to an art. Sure she had room for improvement, but if she were to compare her skills to this man before her who was saying such big words, she had him beat before they could even start the match.

“Excuse me?” The blue-haired man seemed surprised to hear a woman challenge him. He glared at her at first and looked her up and down trying to size her up. Afterwords he snorted in derision and shook his head. “Ha, you really want to challenge me, do you? Perhaps you didn't see my previous matches, but I can assure you that I am the better archer.”

The smirk on her face grew wider. “Oh, from what I can tell you are good, but I have a feeling that I _might_ be better than you.”

This made the man laugh loudly. “You think you can beat me?! Sorry, but there's no way that a little girl like you can take me on! You'd lose before you could even nock your first arrow!”

His words made the woman irritated as a glare formed over her face, but she decided to keep her cool and instead prove what she was saying with her skills. She walked over to the booth and stood across from the owner while keeping her blue eyes on the haughty man. “Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?”

She then turned to owner and asked him what the price of a match was. “It's 20 rupees, ma'am.”

She gave him the allotted rupees and grabbed the bow that the owner provided her with. She looked back at her opponent. “Well, shall we?”

At these words, a small crowd formed around the two. After seeing the man beat challenger after challenger, they were desperate to see if this stranger could best him at his own game. And with the way this woman was talking, most of the crowd felt as if they were in for a real treat.

Upon seeing that there was a number of people who were impatiently waiting to see the match between the two, the man felt pressured to allow himself to compete with her. He didn't really want to face her because a small part of him was afraid that she actually had the skill to back up her claims. At the same time though from what he could tell when he was giving her a look over earlier, she didn't appear to be better than him, so knowing that little bit of information gave him some confidence.

A smirk graced his lips. “You want to challenge me then? Alright then. But to make things interesting how about we compete for something that's listed as a prize. Whoever wins gets the item that was chosen.”

“Sounds fair enough. Who's choosing the item though? You, me, or the booth owner?” The woman asked.

The man's smirk changed into a smile. “I'd figure that I'd be the gentlemen here and let you decide what we're competing over.”

The woman nodded. “I see.” She turned her body to face in the general direction of where the shelves were located next to the owner. She brought her left hand up to chin in thought as her eyes scanned the wares that laid on the shelves. Potions, jewels, and small nick knacks were among the wares, but none of those interested her. As her eyes traveled up though, they lit up as they saw one particular item that definitely caught her attention.

It was an arrow. It wasn't just any arrow though, it was one that was built with the latest technology that had been invented in the Oocca Tribe. And since that particular tribe was the one known for providing the best of that, she knew it had to be good. She had heard about it from a recent trip one of her fellow tribesmen had made this way and it caused her and a good many others in her profession to desperately want to own one just to see what its capabilities were. Sadly though they were quite expensive since the man who made them was highly skilled and he needed the money to help pay for the supplies that made up the item as well as for the painstaking labor it took to make them.

But, she smiled as the realization came to her, this might work out in her favor. Especially if she could pull this win off. It was risky, but she had no doubt in her skills.

She removed her hand from her mouth and used her pointer finger to point to the arrow. “Okay, how about that arrow there? Whoever wins gets that as their prize.”

The boastful man followed where her finger was pointing to and gasped as he realized what the item was. His eyes widened as he gazed at the item. Just from that look alone, the woman could easily tell that the man knew exactly what that item was and probably wanted it as desperately as she did. She smirked. He'd have a tough time trying to get it though, more so specifically since she was his opponent.

“Is that okay?” she questioned him. The question managed to knock him out of his stupor and he quickly recovered by wiping his previous look off of his face and replacing it with a confident smirk. “Yeah, that's fine. But you're crazy if you think I'm going to let you win that easily with that as the prize.”

She returned his smirk. “We'll see. Shall we go?”

The man reached over and grabbed the bow he had used during the last match. “You're on!”

The two took their positions and waited for the booth owner to say when to start. The crowd quickly surrounded them eager to see who would win; some even began to place bets. The man glanced over at the woman wondering once more if she was as tough as she claimed. His fear of her possibly speaking the truth came back to the surface, but regardless now was not the time to back out. The woman took a deep breath and focused on the target field in front of her. She didn't need to pay attention to anything else except for what she was aiming at. Nothing else mattered at that moment.

“GO!”

The targets quickly appeared before the two archers. They simultaneously drew their arrows and released them. More targets popped up and more arrows followed. The crowd gasped as they saw that it was even match. Neither one of them had missed a single target so far.

The points for both of them began to rise until they both were nearing the end of how many targets were left and the time was counting down to the last few seconds. The crowd watched the bated breath as the final target appeared. Neither one had missed a single target since the match began. The two combatants released their arrows and only one hit the target.

The bell rang.

Both opponents placed their bows down onto the booth's counter as the points were counted. There was no need for it though, since they both knew who had won.

“The mysterious newcomer has bested our champion by ONE POINT!” the booth owner announced.

The crowd cried out in a mixture of delight, shock and anger (for those who placed bets on the man instead of the newcomer) at the announcement. The woman smiled and held her hands out for her prize. After the booth owner placed the arrow in her hands, she gazed at it wonder. She would need to keep this close. It would be bad to lose this right after she had just received it.

“How-?” The man's words brought her attention away from the arrow and to him. She turned to look at him. “How did you do that? And without even being familiar with this game or practicing it beforehand?”

She giggled at his question. “Well, when you're a Kokiri Hunter, you have to have good archery skills otherwise there would be no way you would've made it as one.”

The man and a few others in the crowd who heard her response gasped. Kokiri Hunters were from the Kokiri Tribe located in the southern portion of Hyrule and were well known for their archery skills. Now that he knew that she was a part of said group, it made sense why she was so confident in her abilities and why she was so certain she'd win. Hitting stationary targets was nothing when compared to the moving targets she'd have to deal with.

The woman smiled at him though. “But I will say that you did certainly give me a run for my rupees. You nearly had me back there. If you had made that lost shot then we'd probably keep going at it until one of us won.”

Upon hearing that compliment, he returned her smile. “Ah, thanks! Perhaps we could have a rematch sometime after I've practiced a bit more.”

She nodded in agreement. “Sure!”

“LIN!”

The woman, who's name was apparently Lin, turned to look in the direction the voice came from. Once her eyes fell on the voice's owner, a blue-eyed, red-haired young woman, she smiled. “Hi, Malon!”

The redhead, Malon, walked over to Lin her arms crossed over her chest and a look of irritation on her face. “Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you! We need to leave soon if we plan on getting back to our homes before tomorrow night.”

Lin scratched the back of her head sheepishly, having realized that she forgot all about that plan once she heard all the commotion over here. “Oh, right. Heh, heh, sorry, I kinda forgot.”

She heard Malon sigh. “I figured that.”

Lin frowned feeling guilty about her short attention span. The frown then quickly changed to one of puzzlement. “Wait, how did you find me here?”

Malon uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on hips. “Well, I figured knowing you, you'd probably be somewhere near either a game booth or a merchant selling hunting items. When I saw the crowd over here and figured out that it was an archery game then I had a feeling that you were part of the reason why everyone was here.”

Lin smiled and removed her hand from the back of her head. “Well, you got me on that one. I was facing this guy here.” She said while gesturing to him with the hand she just moved. “He definitely put up a good fight.”

Upon being brought back into the spotlight, the man blushed and did the same gesture that Lin did a few moments ago. “Aw, it was nothing!”

Malon looked over at the aforementioned person. “I see. Well, congrats.” Although she was desperately trying to hide her annoyance with Lin's avoidance of her desire to get moving, it still could be seen on her face. “Lin, we _really_ need to be going...”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Lin agreed. She quickly waved goodbye to the man and went after after Malon who was now disappearing into the crowd. “We'll see about that rematch sometime!”

Lin finally caught up to Malon after she managed to get through the remaining members of the crowd who were spectating during her match with the man back at the booth. “Hey, I really am sorry. I was actually headed to the Inn to get my things together but then I got distracted by the all the action that was going on there. And, well, I forgot about it.”

Malon sighed again and looked over at her friend as she began to explain. “Lin, I'm not really mad at you, I just really want to hurry up and get home. Cremia had mentioned to me about needing some help at the ranch whenever I got back from the ceremony and I really don't want to make her wait.”

Lin nodded. “I understand.”

The two females continued to walk through the sprawling crowds that were working their way through the streets towards their destination. Lin was glad that her friend was as understanding a person as she was otherwise she'd never hear the end of it. She would admit that she had a bad problem with forgetting things and she was always getting distracted. Sometimes it made her wonder how she got to where she was when she still had this problem.

There were some people that got angry about it and thought of her as stupid. But generally most people she encountered only found it to be irritating and annoying to have to deal with. Malon was in that category. She had always been understanding about it and even though she did express her irritation about it and asked for her to get better (like earlier), she didn't hate her for it. Malon knew she didn't do it intentionally in order to make people irritated. Sometimes it just happened. This understanding quality of hers was one of the biggest reasons why Lin considered her to be one of her closest friends.

Ahead on their right, the building the two were looking for came into view. As they began their trek over to the entrance, they saw the door get violently thrown open and out came a stumbling drunken man who  was knocked onto his face by a kick on his bum. The one who used the kick on him was a young violet-haired woman who was giving said man a glare. The glare was all the more intensified by her blood-red eyes.

“Don't you ever come in here again and expect to treat my friend the way you did! Paying customer or not, that is not allowed in this establishment!” With that said, the woman turned on her heel and stalked back into the building, slamming the door shut behind her.

Both Lin and Malon looked at one another with the same questioning look. Then they looked back at the drunken man who was now trying to get as far away from the building as possible to prevent another encounter with that woman.

Malon was the first to speak. “Wonder what got Hilda in such an uproar...”

Lin shook her head. Both at the situation and at how she knew Hilda could be. “Knowing Hilda, it can't be good.”

The two decided to enter the building to retrieve their items and see what the fuss was all about. Once they got inside they saw Hilda over near the bar portion of the Inn talking to a young man who was sitting on one of the stools located at the bar. Both girls thought the young man looked very familiar and after a short while of staring at him to try and remember they both realized that they saw him at the ceremony at Hyrule Castle just a few hours before. He was the representative for the Oocca Tribe just as she and Malon were the representatives for the Kokiri and Zora Tribes respectively.

It took Lin a few minutes to remember his name, but when it finally came to her mind she called out, “Ravio? What are you doing here?” Then she glanced over at Hilda who had turned to look at her, “Also what the heck happened out there, Hilda? I know you normally don't throw someone out unless they've done something _really_ bad.”

Hilda was a no-nonsense kind of person and didn't take crap from anyone because of it. Having grown up as the daughter of two bartenders/innkeepers, it wasn't a surprise that she developed these personality traits. She huffed, obviously annoyed to be reminded about the guy she just banned from the premises. “Idiot wouldn't leave Ravio alone and couldn't stop pestering him.” Then Hilda turned her glare onto Ravio. “And you didn't help the situation either by egging him on.”

Lin saw Ravio blush under her gaze. “I was just trying to tell him the truth. Why would I take his words as fact when he _really was_ drunker than a loon? Besides, you're always the one telling me I should stand up for myself more. I was just trying to do that.”

Lin didn't know much about Ravio except for meeting him occasionally during her times here in Oocca Village, but from what she did know, he was the son of very rich merchant and due to that parent's mentality towards him seemed to have developed a very shy personality and occasionally had trouble standing up for himself, thus he tried to avoid conflict. But however, as shown by Hilda's words, when he did actually stand up for himself things tended to get a bit messy. The last thing Lin also knew was that Ravio only had eyes for Hilda. The young man had grew fond of her throughout the many times she had stood up for him and protected him from idiots like the drunken man from earlier. And from she could tell about her friend, she did care about Ravio too. Maybe not quite on the level that Ravio did, but she did consider him to be a good friend.

Hilda rubbed her forehead in agitation. “True, I did say that, but at the same time I also said that you need to pick and chose your battles. There are even times when I deal with crooks here that I have to decide whether its worth it or not to even confront them. You're lucky the guy was so drunk he couldn't even see straight.”

Malon laughed at the exchange. “Well, at least it turned out alright in the end, right?”

Hilda sighed. “Maybe, but I'm going to make sure that I keep an eye out for that guy's face. He's not allowed back in here anymore.”

“Who's not allowed back in here anymore?”

Hilda, Ravio, Malon and Lin all looked in the direction the voice came from to see Hilda's father, Mr. Barten. Apparently he was curious as to what the conversation was about. Hilda's eyes brightened upon seeing him. “Hi, dad! Oh, just some random guy who comes in here to get drunk every couple of days.”

It was at that moment that she heard the door open and turned to see a few customers walk in. Hilda turned to the others. “If all of you will excuse me for a few moments, I need to take care of these guys.”

Hilda then walked off to go see what the newcomers needed. Mr. Barten took that moment to speak to Lin and Malon. “So you ladies about to head out? I heard that the ceremony ended a while ago and I figured you two weren't going to stay another night especially considering that all of the other representatives for the other tribes, except for Ravio here, left already.”

Lin nodded as she absentmindedly scratched her left hand with her right one. “Yep, that was the plan. We're going to go ahead and leave that way we can both get to our homes by tomorrow night at the latest. There are things we've got to get taken care of when we get back, so we can't afford to stay long.”

Mr. Barten returned the nod. “I see.”

Lin needed to return home to go see if Navi, the leader of the Kokiri Hunters as well as the Kokiri Tribe, needed any help with gathering more meat to save up for the winter. Hyrule was known for having particularly harsh winters so she would need to help as much as possible to try and help get the village, as well as the vast majority of Hyrule since they relied on them mostly for their meat, prepared for this. Malon had duties to attend to as well. Her elder sister, Cremia, was in charge of helping to run the ranch that was bequeathed to them by their late parents and she mainly focused on the financial aspects of it while Malon helped with the animals and general labor since Cremia didn't quite have the magic touch she did in dealing with those aspects. Malon's younger sister, Romani, tried to help out as much as she could but since she was still just a young child, there wasn't much she could do except help out with chores. Together though the three sisters did well by themselves and could only hope to get better with it as time went by.

Malon took this time to speak, “Well, we're going to get our things from our room and we'll give you the keys afterwards, Mr. Barten.”

“Take your time. There's no rush.” The old man spoke while heading to the area behind the bar to go check on the supplies.

The two waved goodbye to Ravio and headed up the stairs located next to the bar to go and retrieve their things.

~~

After making sure that they gathered everything they brought, the two entered the stable that was located next to the bar/inn. There in the last two corrals on the left hand side stood their horses, Ace and Epona. Malon went over to her horse, Ace and Lin went to Epona.

“Hi, girl!” Lin smiled and petted the mare's muzzle. Epona was a gift given to her by Malon on her birthday last year. She had always admired horses ever since she had first seen them at the ranch Malon lived at and found a connection with this exact horse. Malon had said that very few people had earned Epona's trust and when she saw that Lin had gained it only after singing a song that Epona loved to hear once, she knew that Epona should belong to her.

Lin giggled as she remembered exactly where she had gotten the horse. It was in this same exact spot. Hilda's father had invited her friends to his daughter's birthday party and since both hers and Lin's fell on the same day, the party was turned into a double one. She hadn't had a birthday party ever since her parents died, so she was excited about the idea. Her heart clenched at this. She missed her parents.

“Lin? Something wrong?”

Lin quickly turned her mind from her dark thoughts. Apparently it became evident to her friend that she was feeling upset and she didn't want to ruin their journey due to that. She turned to grab the saddle hanging on the wall next to her and moved to put it onto Epona after opening the door to her corral. “No, just thinking about things. For example I was wondering what craziness is going to happen a few months from now when Hilda and I's birthday comes up again.”

“Ah.” Malon laughed at remembering what she was talking about. “Who knows what might happen but I can tell you this, don't expect to get a big birthday present from me! Especially since you did actually get a big birthday present from me last year. Haha!”

Lin laughed back in response and finished latching the saddle on Epona. She then grabbed the reins behind her that was sitting next where the saddle was and put them on as well. After that she put her left foot in the stirrup and while grabbing the cantle lifted herself up into the seat. Once she got comfortable she grabbed the reins and began to lead her horse. She turned around slightly to see that Malon had done the same.

The two led their horses to the stable doors where the stable hand made his way to open them for the horse riders. After they were opened, they lead Epona and Ace out. The horses continued at a gait through the streets of Oocca Town until they reached the borders. There once the soldiers allowed them to exit they walked out into the green lush grasses of Hyrule Field.

Lin's eyes lit up and she smiled to see the sight. This was honestly one of her favorite things about traveling. She loved seeing all the wonders and experiencing new things, but being able to just gaze upon Hyrule Field and realizing how small she actually was, in her opinion, the best part.

Her smile then turned into a smirk and with her eyes narrowed, she turned to look back at Malon. “Race ya!”

She kicked Epona into a running gallop. She heard Malon call after her and Ace's hoofs pounding ground behind her. She threw her head back and laughed. All of the dark memories that she had flitting through her mind earlier disappeared and all she felt was the wind hitting her skin, making her feel alive.

~~

A doe was grazing in the forests located past the southern most regions of Hyrule. She had been doing so for the past hour and was content to continue. She quickly brought her head up to look before her for she had sensed something coming. She watched as curious lights that appeared to be the same shade as the forest and ground below began to shimmer around in a circle for a few moments before a strangely dressed human, who appeared to be male according her limited knowledge of those creatures, appeared suddenly within the lights. She jumped back in alarm and was about to bolt before the human looked at her with their dark berry-colored eye and she instantly knew that this human had no plans to do her harm.

She watched as the human took the shiny stringed object that it was holding in its hands and attached it to something on its back. Then the human took out something else and looked down at it for a few moments before placing it back and with one last look at her to ensure that it would not do anything, the human took off running to the north.

The doe continued to watch the human until it disappeared completely from her line of sight. After a few moments was spent wondering what the human was doing, she decided that it wasn't any of her concern and went back to her grazing.


	3. Chapter 2 - Shattering the Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everything is sunny in Hyrule.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also posted on my devART, FF.net and Tumblr (links in profile)
> 
> ~~
> 
> The action starts somewhat in this chapter and a familiar scene that we all have seen before appears in here as well. (If you haven't seen it, I recommend looking up the 2014 Zelda E3 video on Youtube and skim to the 3 minute mark.) I took some liberty with it and adapted it to fit in with the story, but it was a scene that I knew I had to put in here, especially since the story does take place in this game's universe (or at least how much we know about it).
> 
> That's it for now. Enjoy!

~~

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**

Flames of Change

_Chapter 2: Shattering the Peace_

By: knowlee

~~

His blood-red eye scanned the forest surrounding him. He was getting annoyed. Nothing that he was seeing before him was showing up on the map that his aunt had given him before he left. He placed the map he held in his hand back into the small bag he had attached to the cloth wrapped around his waist. His eye narrowed. Perhaps he needed to look at things in a different view.

He took his left hand and moved it to push back the heavy mass of blonde locks he had covering his left identical eye. Above the eye on the area between his eyelid and eyebrow was a curious birthmark that looked like three triangle symbols laying all in a row. After he removed his hair from that eye's line of sight, he used it to look at the forest once more. Just as before though, he saw nothing. He growled. What use was having the rare mythical ability of his tribe if it couldn't even help him find the person he was searching for?

He sighed and removed his hand, allowing his hair to fall back into place. It seemed as if this too, would be another part of the curse he had obtained when he was given this ability by the goddesses. He snorted in derision. Could he ever catch a break?

He decided to focus on what he did know. He knew that this person would be found in the forest so obviously the safest bet would be to keep searching in this area. Perhaps he would come across a clue or even a person who would be able to point him in the right direction. Either way though, he knew that he wasn't going to accomplish anything by just standing there. He took off once more to head deeper into the forest while keeping an eye out for anything that might give him a clue.

~~

The first thing Lin felt after waking up was the soft grass beneath her. With her mind only half awake, she was briefly confused as to why she was lying on the ground until she remembered her and Malon stopping for the night to make camp. She didn't bother with getting out her sleeping bag since it wasn't that cool out yet to warrant having to use one. For that same reason she didn't put up a tent either.

After laying there for a few more minutes she was about to fall back asleep until she was abruptly awoken when she felt something wet touch her face. She quickly jerked up and yelled. “I'M UP!”

Upon hearing Malon's uncontrollable laughter behind her, Lin opened her eyes to see the face of her horse, Epona, directly in front of her. Her cheeks colored in embarrassment. She glared at Epona at irritation and mumbled curses under her breath. She turned to the redhead traveling with her and put her glare on her, “Are you done laughing at me now?”

Lin watched as Malon attempted to control her laughter for a few moments until she finally managed to stifle it. “Hehe, sorry, that was funny!” Malon wiped the tears that had come out of her blue eyes due to her being immensely amused. “Oh, that was a good laugh!”

Lin pouted and instead of making a sarcastic remark to what Malon had said decided to get up and ready for the day. The sun had already began to make its path up into the sky and its light was cascading over the field. Lin reached into the pack that she had taken off of Epona the night before and rummaged through it to find her hairbrush and hair ties. Once she had found those items, she took the brush and began to run it through her light golden brown hair. After the mass of hair had been tamed, she pulled it into a low ponytail behind her head using her hair ties to secure it.

After that was finished, she got to her feet all while straightening up her clothes which had shifted while she slept. She began to help Malon with packing up the camp and getting ready to finish their last leg of the trip. She was just in the middle of stowing away all of her things onto the back of Epona when Malon noticed the arrow she had received from winning the archery match.

“Where did you get that? I don't remember seeing it.”

“Oh, this?” Lin said while motioning to the arrow. She was surprised to hear that Malon didn't see the object in her hands when she talked to her after the match. But, she had to give her friend the benefit of the doubt, perhaps she was just so focused on getting home that it didn't register with her. “Remember the booth you found me at after the ceremony? I won this during the match with that guy who was standing across from me.”

“Ah. Is that one of those things you were talking about earlier when we first arrived? The arrow?” Malon asked as she continued to analyze the object.

Lin nodded, excitement lighting her eyes. “Yep, this is it. I can't wait to go home and try this thing out! I've heard stories of what it can do and want to see if any of them have any merit to them. I swear this is probably the best thing that's come out of coming to Oocca Town for the annual ceremony. I honestly didn't want to come to it since I knew I was needed to help stock up supplies back home, but when Navi announced that I was chosen to be the village's representative, I couldn't exactly refuse.”

Malon nodded as she turned to go and make sure that the ashes they had left over from their fire last night were all stomped out. “I understand that. I felt the same way about it especially since I knew Cremia had been relying on me heavily for the past few weeks. I hated to leave her alone like that.”

After ensuring that the ashes could no longer do any potential harm, Malon looked back up at Lin. “Speaking of the ceremony, what did you think about it? I know that like me, this is your first one. Personally I found it to be interesting although I could tell something was kinda off about it. Can't quite put my finger on it, but I kept feeling an ominous cloud over it, like there was something foreboding about to happen.”

Lin thought back to the ceremony they were talking about. She certainly felt the same ominous feeling but it wasn't a foreboding one but more like she felt like a gut feeling to stay away from one person in particular. She didn't really want to say who that person was to Malon though. She knew deep down that her friend wouldn't judge her, but she was still too afraid to mention it. “Yeah, I could feel that too. I'm not sure what it was all about but either way you're not alone in feeling it.”

Malon smiled wanely. “Ah, well, I'm glad I'm not the only one then. Hopefully it's just that a bad feeling and not a warning of something bad about to happen. Goddesses knows that we don't need any of that!”

Lin nodded slowly in agreement. She was still lost in her thoughts. Suddenly she felt something hit her back and turned around to find Epona gently nudging her. She giggled and smiled at the sight. “Looks like we might need to get going. It seems like Epona wants to get home as soon as possible.”

Malon laughed. “Seems that way. Alright, let's go!”

The two girls pulled themselves onto their respective horses and began their last trek across the field until they got to the point where they would have to separate and go home to their tribes. As the journey continued, one of them found their thoughts shifting back to the day of the ceremony and to the gut feeling that something wasn't right about a very important member who attended it.

~~

_The first thing Lin noticed about the castle was that it was HUGE! She had seen pictures of it before in some of her history books and encyclopedias as well as from afar, but none of those certainly did it any justice. She continued to gaze at the building in wonder and amazement until it came to her attention that she had finally reached the stairs leading to the entrance to the castle. She cradled the offering basket in her arms like it was precious cargo, which it was in fact, and stood next to the other three representatives for the ceremony._

_Malon was walking up behind her and seemed to be just as amazed as she was by the massive castle and nearly collided into her until she noticed at the last second what was about to happen. She quickly apologized and stood to Lin's left to wait for all of them to be led into the castle and to its throne room._

_Lin, curious about the other people who were standing to her right, was trying to get a quick glance at all of them, but when she saw the entrance doors being to open slowly, she quickly went back to her previous position. While the doors continued to open one solider, who appeared to be a highly ranking one due to all the decorations he had on his armor, came up and stood before the five. He slowly looked them all over and spoke loudly, “I am Captain Viscen, leader of the Hylian Guard! I will be your guide henceforth until your reach the throne room where the Tribute Ceremony will take place. After the ceremony has been completed, I will once more be your guide and lead you back outside where you will be free to leave and do what you wish. The only things I ask of you all is to keep up with me and to not enter any of the rooms we pass by. Those are expressly forbidden for you to enter without an invitation. Any questions?”_

_Lin, Malon nor the others made a response. Captain Viscen nodded. “Very good. Now without further ado, please follow me!”_

_With that said, the Captain motioned for the representatives to follow and turned to begin the trek into the castle. Lin and Malon waited until the three to their right began to walk in before they in turn did the same. As they followed the captain inside, all of the representatives began gawking at the decorations and objects that were found inside the castle. Majority if not all of these things weren't found in their own respective homes or villages so for them it was fascinating to see that these things existed._

_Lin lost count of how many steps they had walked up, but soon the doors that lead to the throne room stood before the party. The captain motioned for them to stop and wait as he ordered the two soldiers who were guarding the doors to open them. The two soldiers nodded their assent and began pushing against the doors. Once the doors had opened enough, the first thing that caught Lin's eyes was the beautiful ornate statue that hung above the throne. The statue was that of three golden women who each wore a crown with a single triangle on it. Behind them were representations of the elements they stood for: fire, water, and forest respectively. They stood above the throne as if they were floating and watching over all who entered the throne room._

_Lin had heard some stories of the creation of Hyrule and from what she could remember she knew that three goddesses were involved. She could only assume that those three golden women she saw were one and the same. A few fleeting memories came to her of her parents telling her a few stories about them, but she wasn't allowed to linger on those for too long for she heard the captain speaking again._

_“His Royal Highness, King Darius Hyrule!”_

_Upon this announcement, everyone in the room immediately began showing their respect; the men bowed and the women curtsied; save for Lin since she was wearing pants and saw no need for it so instead she bowed along with the guys. The king walked into the throne room from a door on the left side with an air of dignity about him and went to stand before his throne. Just as he made it there, another announcement was made._

_“Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda Hyrule!”_

_The princess walked in through a door on the right side of the throne room and smiled at the representatives. She slowly walked over to the smaller throne that sat next to her father's. There she sat and the king followed suit after smiling back at her._

_After the king had finally taken his seat in the empty throne, he motioned for everyone to stand back up. “You may rise.”_

_Once everyone had risen back to their feet, Lin took this chance to get a good look at Hyrule's Royal Family. She had only heard brief descriptions of what they both looked like, but none of them really helped give her a good picture. Apparently the king wasn't very big on public appearances especially since his wife's, Queen Zelda's, death a few years ago due to an assassin who wasn't very keen on the current ruling party. In his mourning, he holed himself in the castle and since then has only made appearances when it was absolutely necessary, such as now. Lin kinda felt bad for him for having such a horrible thing happen to him, but at the same time there was something about the man's eyes that made her want to stay away._

_The princess though was another story. She tried to keep up appearances in order to make an effort to show Hyrule that the Royal Family did care, but her appearances were still few and far between. Like her father, she still mourned her mother's death and it was known to the vast majority of Hyrule that she too, like her father, dearly missed her. Lin didn't feel the ominous feeling towards the princess though. Instead she felt as if she could be friends with the woman if she had been born into the life of nobility instead of that of the forest._

_Captain Viscen began announcing the representatives who had come to give their tribute to the Royal Family. Each of the representatives' tributes contained items that their tribe was known for being excellent at producing. These items could range from things such as simple clothing to jewelry so beautiful that they could be seen on the throats and fingers of nobles. The items chosen to be shown were hand picked by the leaders of the tribes and were meant to be of excellent quality. If it was less than stellar then it could mean that funding for each tribe could either stay the same or decrease. The funding could be anything from improvements in their infrastructure to funds for the tribe to use to help prepare for big events such as the winter that was set to happen a couple of months from now. Rarely did something of that caliber occur, but regardless each tribe tried their best to impress the royal who was currently in rule. Some people contended that this method of doing this was a little outdated, but overall it was considered to be a good way for current ruler to know how the rupees being given to tribes were being used properly._

_“The first representative is Ravio of the Oocca Tribe. He is heir to the Lorulian mercantile business which is one of the most widely known businesses in all of Hyrule. He shall present his tribute.”_

_Lin watched as the raven-haired man slowly made his way to stand before the king and princess. She could see the nervousness emanating from his form, but as soon as he made it to the designated area where he was to present his tribute, he managed to shake off his fear and focus on the task at hand. “Y-Your highnesses, I present to you the tribute from the Oocca Tribe.”_

_At those words, he held the basket containing the said tribute in front of him. “This basket contains the very best of our recent technological advancements in medicine and in other areas of science. There is also some artwork from one of the most famous artists found in our village, Kane. And lastly there is a book that was recently published that contains detailed information regarding some of the ancient histories of Hyrule that was discovered earlier this year.”_

_Ravio knelt down onto the floor underneath him in a deep bow and sat the basket on the ground before him. “I hope that you will accept this tribute from Oocca and that it is to your liking, Your Highnesses.”_

_After those words were spoken, Ravio stood back up and walked backwards back towards the spot he was originally standing. Now it was time for the next tribute. “The second representative is Volga of the Goron Tribe. He is the head apprentice to the blacksmith Rosso. He shall now present his tribute.” Captain Viscen spoke._

_Lin saw a tall well-built man make his way to where Ravio was standing earlier. His long blonde hair was tied into a low ponytail and his green eyes shown with determination. He held an air of confidence about him that showed that he believed his tribe had done well with this year's tribute. “Your Highnesses, I present to you the tribute from the Goron Tribe. This basket contains some of our latest creations that has been crafted by our finest blacksmiths, my master included. These creations vary from daggers to pottery that was made in our smithy and baked in our kilns respectively. Also inside are examples of the finest and strongest stones that we use to build various homes all around Hyrule. We use nothing but the best in our work.” Volga did the same motions as Ravio. “I hope that you will accept this tribute from Goron and that it is to your liking, Your Highnesses.”_

_As Volga was making his way back to his original position, the next representative was called which happened to her friend, Malon. “The third representative is Malon of the Zora Tribe. She is one of the owners of the famous Lon Lon Ranch that is located in said tribe. She shall present her tribute.”_

_“Your Highnesses, I present to you the tribute from Zora Tribe.” Lin saw Malon hold her basket out in front of her. “Inside this basket is the first of our fruit and vegetables that were harvested and picked especially for this moment. There is also a bottle of water that has been purified by our filtering systems that help keep the water that is distributed throughout Hyrule clean and fresh.” She bowed and placed her basket before her on the ground. “I hope that you will accept this tribute from Zora and that it is to your liking, Your Highnesses.”_

_One more representative was left before it was her turn to go. Lin could start to feel her nerves begin to get the better of her. “The fourth representative is Tatl of the Gerudo Tribe. She is the daughter of the Cheiftess Aveil and has been chosen to succeed her mother as Cheiftess. She shall present her tribute.”_

_A young girl, more than likely no older than sixteen, walked towards the king and princess. Her shoulder-length blonde hair swayed across her shoulders as she got closer to the man. Lin vaguely found herself wondering if she was perhaps one of the thieves that were known to hail from that tribe. She had encountered a few of them when she was on a trip once a year or so ago with some other fellow hunters to the Gerudo Tribe. It wasn't a pretty sight either. Although she knew in the back or her mind that it wasn't right for her to judge the whole tribe based on the actions of a few, but it was still hard to tell whether or not someone from the Gerudo Tribe was a thief since it was infamously known to harbor many of them and that incident did leave a bad memory on her mind. She figured that the girl probably wasn't though since she was in fact the daughter of that tribe's cheiftess. At the same time though, she couldn't blame those that did resort to thievery. The Gerudo Tribe didn't exactly live in the most rewarding of environments._

_Once Tatl got to the designated position, she stopped. “Your Highnesses, I present to you the tribute from Gerudo Tribe. Here inside the basket are a few items that we found in the desert that have been verified by historians to have belonged to ancient members of Hyrule from many millennia ago. There is also some of our finest jewelry that have been crafted by many jewelry makers. The few that are found in here are only a small portion of what beautiful accessories can be found back in my tribe. Another thing included in this basket is an example of the ore that we have discovered deep within the mines located in mountains that can be found alongside one of our borders. This ore is commonly used to power many everyday objects that people all across Hyrule use.”_

_She followed suit with the other representatives. “I hope that you will accept this tribute from Gerudo and that it is to your liking, Your Highnesses.”_

_Lin took a deep breath. Great, now it was her turn. Hopefully her nerves didn't get the best of her. She tended to feel sick to her stomach whenever she felt that way. She took another deep breath to calm herself down as she heard Captain Viscen call out her name. Well, it was time to get it over with._

_“The last representative is Lin of the Kokiri Tribe. She is the leader of the famous Kokiri Hunters that her tribe is known for and is her Cheiftess' second-in-command. She shall present her tribute.”_

_Lin quickly took another deep breath to quell her quivering stomach and slowly made her way to stand before the king and his daughter. She could see the king's eyes on her and coupled with the dark feeling that she kept getting from him, her stomach still refused to calm down. She tried instead to focus on the princess, but it didn't help any. It wasn't until she stopped to present her tribute that she was finally able to get herself to relax. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could get away from here. “Your Highnesses, I present to you the tribute from Kokiri Tribe.”_

_Lin held out the basket in her hands and eyed the contents to help her remember all of what it contained. “Inside this basket is some of our finest clothing that was stitched together by our tailors as well as some of the figurines that were crafted by some of my village's artisans. Also included is some samples of high quality wood that we use to build the many pieces of furniture that is used all across Hyrule.” She knelt down to the ground and placed the basket next to the others. “I hope that you will accept this tribute from Kokiri and that it is to your liking, Your Highnesses.”_

_When Lin stood back up from her previous position, she nearly jumped to see the king's eyes staring straight at her. She found it slightly unnerving but managed to ignore it long enough to walk back in line with the other representatives. She could still see his eyes on her which bothered her. He didn't do that with anyone else…_

_The king apparently noticed that she had seen his gaze for he quickly turned away to speak to Captain Viscen and thank him for bringing them here. He then motioned to the captain to give them the funding they would be receiving in return for their tribute._

_As Lin watched the captain do his duties, she couldn't help but think back to the dark feeling she had picked up off the king.  The rational part of her mind was telling her that it was just that she could tell that he was still feeling depressed over his wife, but still…_

_Lin quickly glanced at the king to see that he was now staring off at the floor, lost in thought._

_...she didn't like it one bit._

~~

Lin was still lost in thought when she heard Malon call out her name. She immediately stopped Epona from going any further since her first thought was that her friend was warning her that she was getting close to falling or hitting something. That turned out behind not the case when she heard her friend giggling at her. Lin turned to face Malon who was stopped on her horse facing away from her. Lin raised an eyebrow at her action wondering what was her problem.

After a few more moments of giggling, she turned her upper body around to answer her. “I was just trying to tell you that we reached the pathway that leads to my village, but you looked like you were too lost in thought to hear me speaking.” She inclined her head to the right to signal Lin to look in that direction. Sure enough, once Lin looked, there was the pathway Malon had mentioned. She sighed. Looks like the time had come for them to go their separate ways for now.

Instead of being sad though, Lin decided to smile. She knew that she'd see her friend soon enough. It probably wouldn't be until after winter though since travel between the tribes would be scarce during that time. Nonetheless, she knew that the two of them would see each other again. “I guess this is when we go our separate ways then.” Lin spoke.

Malon's face held a bittersweet smile. “Yeah. I guess I won't see you until at least after winter's end. Hopefully you'll get some time off then. Maybe you can convince your boss to let you have a few weeks off so you can come see me! Plus Romani has been wanting to see you for some time.” Malon laughed. “She's been wanting to show you how much she's improved with her archery. She wants to challenge you to a match just to see how good she's gotten!”

Lin laughed. “Ah, so she has gotten better now! I was wondering if she really was serious about taking up the bow last time I saw her. You know how you told me that she had been going through instances where she was briefly interested in something and I was afraid that it was something of that nature when she first asked me. I guess not though if she's getting that good at it.”

Malon nodded. “Oh, yeah, there are times when she drives both me and Cremia nuts talking about it. But at least she's got an interest in something.” The redhead began to steer Ace towards the pathway leading to the Zora Tribe. “Yeah, well, I guess I'll see you later then.” Lin watched as she went and called back. “See you, Malon!”

Malon turned around to wave goodbye. “Remember what I said about seeing if your boss can give you some time off here soon! You need to come visit! Bye!” With that said, Malon turned back around, brought Ace into a gallop and began speeding off, eager to get back home.

Lin gave Malon's disappearing form a slight wave. She sighed. Maybe she could convince Navi to give her some extra time off before the winter season hit, but she kinda doubted it. She was already supposed to get a week off from work once she got back home due to her being chosen as this year's representative for the tribe. Based on just that knowledge, she really doubted that she'd get any extra though. Not to mention, since she was Navi's second-in-command her chances of getting extra time off were very slim. Oh well, Lin huffed, if she didn't get to see her again anytime soon due to being busy, she'd see her after winter was over.

Lin's blue eyes looked over to her left and saw up on top of the hill a pathway that she knew would lead to her own village of Kokiri. She knew that she should head over to it in order to get home as quickly as possible, but she turned Epona around to gaze out at the field that lay behind her.

She felt the wind gently brush past her face and took a deep breath to smell all the scents that the air was carrying. In the far distance she could see the castle that both her and Malon just left around this time yesterday. She vaguely wondered when she'd see it again. She knew that it probably wouldn't be for quite some time especially since her chances of becoming her tribe's representative next year were pretty low since it was a different person every time.

Lin took her gaze from the castle to see a few of the ruins that littered the landscape on the side of the hill some ways down from her. She found herself beginning to wonder what used to stand there in that space when suddenly something caught her eye. She leaned forward in the saddle to get a closer look at what she had seen.

The object she saw moved quickly and seemed to be searching for something. She felt Epona began to stir underneath her. From her horse's motions she could tell that the creature didn't like the object and wanted to get away as fast as possible. Lin tried to calm her down. Before she could do that though Epona reared up onto her hind legs and neighed in fear. Then in the corner of her eye she saw the object turn to look at them and before she could register what was about to happen, its eye lit up a glowing blue color and a bright stream of light shot out from it hitting the field behind her.

Lin yelped in fear and Epona bolted in an effort to get away from the strange metallic beast. Lin quickly adjusted to her horse's speed and grabbed ahold of the reins to ensure she didn't get bucked off. She didn't know what this thing was, but she agreed with Epona that they needed to get away from it fast!

~~

He heard the sound of a shrill yelp reach his ears. He turned his head towards the area he heard the sound come from and took off towards it. He didn't know exactly what the sound was, but considering that he had been searching for hours without any success, he was willing to bet that it was a clue that he was getting closer to some sort of civilization. The noise also sounded human, female more than likely due to its feminine tone.

He continued to run until he saw a small stream with a bridge crossing over it appear below the elevated landmass he was standing on top of. His red eye quickly scanned the area below to see where the shriek had come from. Soon enough he got his answer when he saw what looked like to be a young woman wearing blue and tan clothing riding a horse straight towards the bridge. Streams of blue light shot towards the woman but they missed as she was able to dodge them quickly. Fire erupted from the areas the light had landed which gave him the impression that the beams were quite hot.

He could see that the woman had reached the bridge and was about to completely cross over it when the creature that was apparently chasing her caught up with her and with one quick swoop of its arms from underneath the bridge, it destroyed the supports. His eye widened as the creature was nothing like he had ever seen. His attention snapped back to the woman.

She had managed to stop her horse in time before the bridge was destroyed and even though he was a great distance from her, he could see the fear that was shown in her eyes. Apparently she had never seen anything like this creature either. Even though he knew that his aunt had advised him against jumping in to things where he didn't need to be, he knew that he couldn't stand by and watch someone get murdered before him.

He was just about to jump in and distract the creature to give her enough time to run away, when he saw her pull out a bow and two arrows. Ah, so she was an archer. He watched as she briefly used something to strike against a string that was attached to the end of both of the arrows she had produced and saw that it created a spark.

Before the creature had time to react, the woman released one of the arrows at it which made a loud and bright explosion. It was a bomb arrow, he realized. She quickly released the next one at the left side of its top portion to distract the creature more. He observed as she quickly reached back to grab something else that was attached to her horse's saddlebags. He couldn't tell what it was from his vantage point but he could see that she was debating on whether or not to use it based on her facial expression. She didn't take too long to decide because soon after he watched as she pulled herself up out of the saddle on her horse and placed her feet on top of it. Her horse reared back and she used the momentum that her horse gave her to push off and fly into the air.

He saw the eye on the creature begin glowing a bright blue and knew that she only had a few moments to react. She placed the item that she had picked up earlier into her bow and after pulling it back on her string, she pulled some kind of small lever on the 'arrowhead' portion of the arrow. His eye widened once more as the item's arrowhead quickly opened up to reveal a pointed end that glowed the same blue color as the creature's eye. Then she released it.

The arrow made contact with the creature's eye just as it launched a blue beam at her. He held his breath, fearing that it would hit her, but luckily she had fallen down enough at the last moment for it to barely miss her. He saw that it did barely brush the tip of her ponytail since she had ducked her head down to prepare to land in the shallow water below.

Right after she landed, he only had a few moments left to shield his eye as the metallic creature began glowing all over its body. Then its body erupted in a violent explosion. Once the light from the explosion receded, he removed his hand to see that there was nothing left of the creature. He looked to the right of where the creature once stood to see the woman looking at where it remained. He could tell that she was relieved that the creature was no longer pursuing her, but at the same time based on what he could see of her expression she was confused as to why the creature was even chasing her. He too was wondering the same thing.

Suddenly the woman turned around and saw that her horse was freaking out over the load noise that the creature's explosion had created. She went to go calm the animal down. It took her a few moments but soon the horse was back under her control again. She apparently had a way with animals he noted.

The smell of smoke came to his nose and he realized that amongst all the commotion that the metallic monster had created, the two had failed to realize that it had caught some things on fire. He knew that it would take a while for the fires to be put out and he had a feeling that this woman would probably lead him right to where he needed to go. Underneath his scarf that covered the lower portion of his face, his mouth formed into a frown. He didn't have time to wait until she put out all the flames. Nor did he have time to wait for a storm to come along. The frown on his face turned into a smile as an idea came to him. He would have to make his own.

He grabbed the harp that was attached to his back and released it from its confines. He held in the crook of his left arm and placed the fingers of his right hand onto the strings that needed to be plucked to play the right notes he needed to produce the Song of Storms. It only took him a few moments to play the song.

Sure enough shortly after the song ended, he heard the tell tale sounds of thunder rumbling. He also saw that the woman had heard the notes he played for she was looking around trying to find the source of the noise. He quickly used his shadow magic to hide his appearance to prevent her from seeing him.

The rain began pelting the two of them and to his delight the rain began to slowly put out the small flames. Soon they went out completely. He turned his eye back to the woman to see her pull out a small black hood out of one of her saddlebags and put it over her head to stop the rain from getting her hair and face wet. Then after she looked back to where the flames once were to see that they were now completely gone, she pulled herself onto her horse and began leading it through the water since the bridge was now broken.

Once the two were out of the water, they began to walk down the path that was to his right. He continued to watch the two as they continued on their trek. He didn't know for sure where they were going, but if his hunch was correct, which they usually were, they were probably headed right where he needed to go.

Making sure that his harp was secure once more against his back, he stayed in the shadows while following them as quickly and silently as he could.


	4. Chapter 3 - Lurking Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What lies in the shadow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also posted on my devART, FF.net and Tumblr (Links in profile)
> 
> ~~
> 
> Fun fact: this chapter and the next one was originally one chapter until I realized the sheer length of it made it WAY too long! So I had to separate the two.
> 
> Enjoy!

~~

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**

Flames of Change

_Chapter 3: Lurking Shadow_

By: knowlee

~~

With the sun slowly sinking towards the horizon that was hidden behind the trees, Lin felt the drizzling rain pelt the hood that she had placed over her head a little while ago. She found it strange for rain to be falling this time of year especially since winter was right around the corner. But, she supposed, it worked out alright in the end. At least the fires were gone now because of it. But… she thought back to the creature that caused the fires in the first place. What was that thing?

She had never seen anything like it before. From her meager perspective on technology, it seemed to have some of those qualities to it. Perhaps it was from Oocca? She shook her head at that thought. No, it probably wasn't. Although Oocca was known for its technological prowess, she knew for a fact that they didn't have anything of that caliber or at least none that she had seen herself. Perhaps it was a new type of creature? She had no idea on that. Either way, the most important thing that she knew that she wanted to find out was why it was chasing her. Neither she nor Epona had given it any reason to pursue them. Even prey she hunted in the forest didn't do anything aggressive unless they were provoked or felt threatened. That then left only one possible solution and the idea of it scared her.

Someone had sent it after her.

But who would do that? She immediately thought back to the foreboding feeling she got from the king. But just after the thought popped into her head she quickly threw it back out. Regardless of what she had felt when in that throne room towards him, it wouldn't have meant that he was the reason behind the attack. He had no reason to go after her. She proved her loyalty (as well as her tribe's) to him and his family during the ceremony. Plus she had not made a move or said a remark that would've led him to wrongly think of her as an enemy. Creepy vibe or not, the king was definitely out of the lists of potential suspects.

But then that left no one. Who could it be?

She would've pondered this thought further, but her eyes caught sight of the gate that led to her home village. No matter what had happened back in the forest, she was glad to see that sight. It meant that she was nearly home. As Lin got closer to the gate though, she grimaced at who she saw was in charge of guarding it for the night shift. Mido.

' _Ugh. Just lovely..._ ' There was very few people that Lin didn't like to interact with, but with the few that she didn't, there was a good reason for it. Mido was one of those few. The reason why she didn't care to talk to him that much? He was a HUGE flirt and a womanizer. And since she herself was a woman it made her a target for him to use those particular personality traits on.

Interestingly though, she didn't recall him doing that to her when they were children. Or even during their teenage years for that matter. She had practically grown up with him and his sister, Fado, since their family had taken her in after the death of her parents, so to her it felt a little weird that he started blatantly flirting with her shortly after she was promoted to be the leader of the Hunters. She didn't wish to think ill of him though based on just that as she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't do that to her based on just her position, but who knows. She knew that people could change, so perhaps this was what happened to Mido. Either way though it was annoying to deal with.

Sure she could simply use her status to tell him to simply stop by saying so and threatening to pull him off duty for a while or she could simply tell his sister, who had more of an ability to get him to do things, to tell him to back off. Unfortunately though she was too much of a nice person to do actually do the first option and while she had actually done the second one, it produced no results. What made it even more difficult to deal with his constant flirting was the fact that he was one of her subordinates and there were times when they had to work together because of it. She sighed. ' _Oh, well, might as well get it over with…_ '

Against her better judgment, she led Epona towards the gate and its keeper. Once she saw Mido's self proclaimed _charming_ smile, she knew that she had come into Mido's line of sight. “Why hello there, beautiful!”

Lin stopped Epona from walking any further and tried desperately to hide her disgusted look on her face. Even though the guy annoyed her to no end, she didn't want to offend him. Sometimes she could be too nice. “Hi, Mido. How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?”

“Why shouldn't I? If I didn't say it I'd be lying.” At the same time he said this, Mido ran his right hand through his brunette bangs in an attempt to get Lin to notice. Well, she did notice, but not in the way he wanted her to.

Lin sighed. She decided to just go ahead and come out and say it. Sometimes she knew the best way to deal with things was to be direct, although she had not fully learned this skill when dealing with professional situations, quite frankly she was annoyed at him constantly bothering her with this and felt like telling him outright. “Please, don't do that. You know that I've already said I'm not interested.”

Instantly after those words passed her lips, a frown appeared on Mido's face. “And why not, may I ask?”

Lin groaned quietly. She had no time for this. She wanted to hurry up and talk to Navi before it got too late. Plus she wanted to get home. She needed a bath and her bed was calling her name. “I already told you why, Mido. First off, I'm not looking to be in a relationship right now and secondly even if I was, which I'm not, personally, you would not be the type of guy that I would be interested in seeing.”

Mido put his hand on his chin and rubbed it in thought. “Well, then what is your type exactly? I can become that type for you.”

If Lin had the nerve to slap herself in the face right now, she would. Honestly she didn't know what 'type' of guy she preferred, but she did know that it would definitely not be Mido. Maybe later she'd figure that out, but it was not on the top of her list in terms of concerns right now. Her only concerns at the moment was getting to Navi and going home.

“No, thanks. I'd rather not.” She began to urge Epona forward once more. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to get to Navi. She's expecting me.”

At those words, she saw that Mido had finally listened to her, although albeit begrudgingly. He moved to pull open the latch that held the gate doors together. Once the latch was open, he pushed the gates open just enough for Lin and Epona to walk through without trouble. After they had entered completely, he went to close the gates back. She briefly turned back to make sure that the gate had properly latched. 

“Keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary!” Lin was thinking of that metallic creature when she said this. She certainly hoped that no more of those things would show up. Even though she didn't prefer to be in that man's presence, she didn't want anything horrible to happen to him.

“Yeah, I'll do that.” She heard Mido respond back. She could tell that he was a bit irritated with her though due to the tone of his voice. She shrugged it off though. He'd get over it. He always did.

Lin turned back around in the saddle and looked at the road straight ahead. She smiled as she saw the familiar trees and sights that she could easily recall in her mind as being signs that she was getting closer to home. She would be there soon.

~~

He smirked under his scarf. He knew she would lead him somewhere. He watched as the woman entered a small village that was surrounded by trees and even had a few that could be found surrounding some of what he presumed were the villagers' homes and businesses. Speaking of villagers there were a few of them that were outside going about their business, trying to move items inside away from the falling rain or preparing to get home before the night set in fully. He could even see a few young children playing around outside, eager to spend as much time as they could before they had to go inside.

It was, in how he saw it to be, a cozy and homely little village. He felt a little sadness in how it made him think of home. He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts before they went any deeper and focused on the task at hand. He needed to discreetly search this place to see if the person he had been trying to find for a while now was here. Hoping that this would be the case, he began to look around the village. He certainly didn't want to have to go and spend more of his time looking aimlessly again.

~~

Lin pulled her hood off of her head as the rain had stopped a few moments ago, but she was too delighted to see that she was back home to bother. As she led Epona down one of the dirt roads that winded through the small village she called home, she nodded and waved to a few of the people who greeted her. She turned her attention to the house located at the end of the road that she was traveling on. That was Chieftess Navi's home.

Once she got close enough to said person's house, she dismounted from Epona and pulled her along using the reins attached to her to lead her to the post just outside. Using that, she tied her up to it ensure that she wouldn't run off. She then dug into her saddlebags to grab the bag she had received from the captain after the ceremony and turned back towards the house. Lin walked up the steps that led up to the porch that was attached to the front of the building and headed to it's door. She knocked.

She heard a low muffled voice come through the wooden door. “Come in.”

Lin grabbed the knob on the door and turned to open it. Once she walked into the home, she was greeted with the smell of green tea and the sight of the Chieftess sitting at a table and holding a cup of tea over in the northeast corner of the lower room of the building. From her line of sight, she appeared to be working on something.

As Lin shut the door behind her, the noise it made caught the attention of the Chieftess and caused her to look up from her work and towards her direction. Upon realizing who it was, she smiled, put her cup of tea down on the table and stood up to walk over to her.

“Lin! Nice to see that you made it back! How did the ceremony go?”

Lin smiled to show her that the ceremony went well. She lifted up her right hand to show her the bag she received. “It went as good as expected. This is what we got.”

Navi reached to grab the bag out of her hand and turned to walk over to the table. Lin followed. Once they reached the wooden piece of furniture, Navi opened up the bag and poured its contents onto the table's surface. Lin's eyes widened as she saw the amount of rupees that came out of the bag. It was a whole assortment of silver, orange, purple, red, yellow, blue and green colors; a good bit of them tended to be of the silver, orange and purple variety. Even though she didn't know exactly how much money was in the bag total, she saw enough to know that Kokiri would be able to buy enough from the surrounding villages in order to be adequately prepared for the upcoming winter.

Navi apparently thought the same for she looked to be just as surprised as she was at the amount of rupees lying on the table. “Wow, the Royal Family must have been quite impressed with what we brought to give this much! It's more than it was last year.”

Lin agreed. Even though she wasn't the representative nor the leader of the Kokiri Hunters around this time last year, she knew enough to know that the reward wasn't as much as it was this year. “I'll say. Perhaps they felt being generous this year?”

“Hmmm...perhaps. Although the scientists up in Oocca have projected that the winter will be extremely bad this year so maybe they gave us enough to ensure that we'll be alright.” Navi went to put the rupees back into the bag and turned to go place it in a safe that she had stored away in the desk located behind the table. “Although, with this amount of rupees in our possession, we'll have to make extra sure to return the favor by giving it our all before and after this winter. We need to produce our best and then some.”

“Yeah, I'll be sure to put my all into it whenever I get back from my vacation. I'll also make sure that the same goes for the hunters.” Lin nodded. She tried to keep the eagerness out of her voice, but she was really wanting to get home.

“Oh, yeah, about that...”

Lin furrowed her brows and grimaced internally. Oh, no, Navi had used that voice… Which usually meant that things weren't about to go well for her. She sighed. What happened now? 

Navi stood up from the safe and turned to face her all while running her right hand through her pixie cut ice blue hair. After doing that motion, she went to rub her hand over the fairy-shaped tattoo that was etched onto her forehead. From that action, Lin could tell that Navi was annoyed by whatever she was about to say too.

“Well, turns out that while you were away, the person you had placed in charge of running the hunters while you were out, Colin, got sick about a couple of days afterward. Apparently he caught it from one of his children and even though he tried to fend it off, it ended up getting worse. I then put Talo in charge but even though he shows the initiative, I can tell that he is not fit for the role of leader, even if it is only temporary. He needs to gain some experience before he is allowed to do that again.”

“Ah, I see.” Lin sighed again. It seemed like she was never going to catch a break with all the stuff that had been happening to her recently. “So, what you're saying is that unfortunately I don't get a vacation anytime soon, right?”

Navi nodded. She hated to do this to her second but she had no choice. “At least until Colin is able to get back on his feet. Once he is well and able, then you'll be able to get your week's vacation as I promised before you left. After all this is over with, you'll have definitely earned it.” Navi smiled at that last comment.

“Yeah, definitely.” Now Lin really wanted to go home and rest up. Especially since now she knew that she more than likely had to work first thing in the morning. “So, tomorrow morning I guess I'm going to be expected to lead a hunt?”

“I would greatly appreciate it. I would go ahead and do it myself if I didn't already have enough on my plate with having to deal with making sure the storage faculties are getting prepped and filled on schedule.” Navi looked over at the table where he paperwork lay. Suddenly a thought came to her of what she needed to do first thing in the morning and she walked over to the table to write it down before she forgot it. “Hmm...just remembered that I need to make sure that we have enough wood stored just in case the electric heaters go out.”

Lin took this as her hint to go ahead and leave, but just as Navi had happen to her a few moments ago, she had another thought pass through her mind that she needed to mention to her. “Oh, before I forget. You know the bridge that goes over the small stream that's on the pathway leading out to Hyrule Field? Well, it needs to be repaired.” Lin brought her right hand up to scratch her cheek nervously as she made a sheepish grin.

At this Navi turned away from her papers and looked back at her, confused as to why Lin would say that. “Why would it need to be repaired?”

Lin started to answer her question, but before she could say anything she stopped. How exactly was she going to explain that a strange, metallic creature attacked her on her way here? She wasn't sure how Navi would take that answer, but she knew that there was a small chance that she wouldn't believe her. She had no proof that the thing even existed since it exploded once she attacked it with the arrow she received from Oocca Town. Should she tell her?

She continued to debate with herself until she saw the look on Navi's face that demanded an answer and soon. She quickly made her decision. “Well, a huge monster attacked me on the way back home and even though I killed it, it managed to take out the bridge with it.”

There, she said it. Though she didn't tell every single detail such as the fact that the monster appeared to be metallic, it still was enough of an answer that would give Navi a proper reason and would also make her feel less guilty for not telling her the full story. The only thing she was hoping right now was that her previous theory of the creature coming after her wasn't accurate otherwise she would definitely feel guilty if another one of those things tried to attack the village if it was in fact searching for her.

“A monster, eh? I've heard a few rumors that there have been a few roaming around the Lost Woods as of late. That along with a couple of sightings of the Armogohma.” Navi grimaced as she moved into a thinking position with her left hand rubbing her chin in thought and her right hand underneath her left elbow supporting that arm.

At the word 'Armogohma' Lin tensed. Lin wasn't afraid of many things but for the things she was, there was a good reason behind it. And the reason for this particular fear revolved around her parents and why they were no longer with her.

Navi noticed her sudden quietness and instantly realized why. She quickly tried to ease the tension that Lin was feeling. “Although the one rumor about the Armogohma is at least a few months old. Haven't heard anything else about it since then.”

Although Lin appreciated the fact that her leader had tried to ease her fear, she still felt terrified knowing that that thing was seen roaming the forest recently. Granted yes, she had to work in that same forest everyday and there was a good chance of her encountering it, but even that chance was very slim as the creature only entered their neck of the woods very seldom and when it did enter it was for only a little while. 

But, a thought occurred in the back of her mind, during that short time something bad could still happen. Her heart clenched as she thought her parents. It was actually their deaths, which was during one of those rare times when Armogohma was around, that became the reason why now they had nightwatchmen such as Mido guarding certain areas of their village to protect its citizens from said creature. It was also the reason why she felt scared of it. She had hoped to never see the thing again because of her history with it, but considering her line of work, it was more than likely an inevitability, especially since it had been spotted again. She could only pray at this point that she was able to deal with it before that time came. Although her father did always say that it was best to face her fears head on.

Lin smiled in an attempt to reassure her leader that everything was alright with her. “Well, that's good. Although I have a feeling I might end up running into it sooner or later.” ' _Hopefully its later, much later…_ ' she thought to herself.

Navi nodded in response. She was glad that her subordinate was able to calm herself down. She knew that the woman had good reasons for having a healthy fear towards the monster, but she hoped that she would be able to deal with the emotions she felt towards it before she encountered the beast. She hated to think that Lin would freeze in fear and allow herself to fall victim to the same thing that had befallen her parents.

“I'll be sure to notify one of our carpenters about the broken bridge first thing in the morning.” Navi went to go write a note down for this on the same sheet of paper she had written on earlier. She knew if she didn't do this she would forget it the next chance she got. “We'll need it fixed before our traders leave out here in the next couple of days.”

Navi turned away from her note and looked towards Lin. “I suggest that you go ahead and get on home. You'll need to get some rest before the morning comes.”

Lin nodded. “Definitely will get on that.” Her bed had been calling her name for the past few hours and she was eager to get to it. She bowed to Navi and turned to walk towards the door leading outside. It was time to get back home. 

Home sounded like a beautiful word to her right now.

~~

He grimaced underneath his scarf. He had searched this entire village and there was not a single person he had seen that even remotely resembled the person he was sent to look for. He rubbed his forehead in agitation. Was he _ever_ going to find who destiny had told him he needed to guide?

He sighed as he looked up at the sky to see that the sun had sunk even more below the treetops and that the sky was darkening to the point where everyone in the village before him was heading inside for the night. He supposed it would be best for him to do the same and call it a night and then resume his search in the morning. He would probably find who he was looking for then.

He looked to his left and saw a tree that was tall enough for him to sleep in and keep away from the prying eyes of the creatures of the forest and of the villagers. Using the skills he learned from his aunt he jumped onto one of the tree's thick branches and climbed up a few more until he found a place suitable to eat some of the food he brought with him and to safely rest without the risk of falling down.

Once he was sitting down onto the thick branch beneath him, he pulled out the bag he had been carrying and began digging inside of it to find the food he had stashed away. While doing so, his mind began drifting to thoughts of how his aunt was doing after he left and how he had gotten here in the first place.

He felt his mouth form into a small smile when he thought of his aunt. Compared to most of the people in his village, she was one of the few who actually treated him well. Although he was not one to complain, he was actually glad to finally have a chance to leave his home village and have some respite from those who detested his existence.

~~

_He focused on the straw dummy before him, imagining it as an enemy that was planning on attacking him. Then as fast as he could manage, he whipped out three of his kunai and threw all of them in quick succession towards his target. He smirked under his scarf as he saw that every single one of them hit vital targets, one of which was the heart._

_He walked over to the dummy and began to pull his weapons out. He would hate to lose these especially since his aunt kept telling him that he needed to be prepared at all times. Those words were wise though. There was no telling what could happen from one minute to the next. Especially if one were raised in a tribe filled with warriors like his._

_“Hey, Sheik!”_

_Sheik turned around to see one of the village elders standing a good distance away from him. It was one of these times that he was thankful for his scarf, for he knew that if the elder Sheikah were to see the frown that had formed on his face, he would probably punish Sheik for it. Although due to his close connection to the Chieftess of the Tribe, he knew that any punishment he would receive would probably end up null and void. Still though as much as he despised seeing the man, it was in his best interests not to anger him any more than necessary, especially since the man didn't like him to begin with and would look for any reason to take it out on him._

_“Yes, Elder Kai?” Sheik answered while moving his hands to replace the kunais back into their holsters._

_Sheik watched as the man gave him a glare and spoke simply to him. “The Chieftess requires your presence.” The gray-haired Sheikah then quickly turned on his heel and began walking towards the tent where the Chieftess was._

_With his back turned towards Sheik, the blonde-haired young man returned the man's glare and began to follow him. If it was one thing that Sheik didn't like, it was having to interact with the elders, especially with the one he spoke to a few moments ago. Unfortunately though due to his close relationship with the Chieftess, he had to face them on a near daily basis since they served as the Chieftess' advisers on tribe matters. Because of this he tried to keep things cordial, but sometimes that didn't work. It was no secret to nearly everyone in the village that the two parties didn't care for one another. The animosity was even more greatly seen between him and Elder Kai since the man was the most vocal opponent of his and seemed to make it his mission to see him suffer._

_Sheik's eyes narrowed as the two individuals walked away from the training grounds and began winding through the streets that lined Kakariko Village's business district. He could see in the corner of the one eye that he had uncovered, some of the shoppers who had their children with them began pulling them away from his direction as he passed. With his trained ears he could also hear the whispers. He sighed. It was also no secret that nearly everyone in the village didn't care for him either._

_It was not fair really. He had done nothing wrong, unless if one were to count his birth as what he did that was so sinful that it caused everyone to fear him. No, he was sure that even if he was born normal, then no one in the village would treat him so differently. He knew the true reason why everyone disliked him._

_It was his left eye._

_When he was born, his parents had seen that above his left eye he bore a strange birthmark that consisted of three small triangles that sat in between his eyelid and eyebrow. His parents thought nothing of it until one day when he was around three years of age, he began talking to things that his parents couldn't see, but he could. It was then that they began to worry and starting researching in order to figure out what it was that was wrong with him._

_With the help of his aunt, who was also his father's sister, all the research they did finally came to a head. They found that he bore the mythical power of the all-seeing eye in his left eye. It was a rare ability that was thought to have died out a long time ago. This ability would give him the power to see spirits, see through illusions and figure out the weak points of monsters and other enemies. In essence it was a wonderful power to be born with, but it ended up being a curse for him._

_See, although the power was a rare gift and it was known that the original Sheikah all wielded it until it become rarer over time, it also carried a certain stigma to it. And that stigma was all thanks to one Sheikah who existed a long time ago: a man named Bongo Bongo._

_From what he had learned from both his parents and his aunt, more so from the latter than the former, was that Bongo Bongo was a Sheikah war criminal who lived back before the Era of the Hero of Time. Apparently a Civil War had broke out around that time and Bongo Bongo was one of the main instigators of it. During the war and apparently even before then he used his ability of the 'All-Seeing Eye', also commonly known as the 'Lens of Truth' at that time, to torture and fight against those who opposed his ideas._

_Due to the crimes he had committed, he was sentenced to death by beheading. After his sentence was carried out, his soul was apparently so angry at his death that it lingered on and struck out at Hyrule. It was then that the last remaining Skeikah who survived the Civil War sealed his soul under a well that was found within their village. His soul was to remain there for all time and never be released. Until one day…_

_Some time before his birth a drought hit the village. It was apparently so bad that even the water from the well dried out and left it completely empty. A lot of the residents despaired over the predicament and feared that they would all die now due to not having a direct source of water. What most of the citizens didn't realize either was that they had another thing to worry about._

_The water in the well apparently was one of the seals that was put into place by the Sheikah who sealed Bongo Bongo there. With it gone, the seal was weakening and within a matter of days, Bongo Bongo's spirit was free from its prison and as an act of revenge it attacked Kakariko._

_From what his aunt told him the damage caused by his spirit was so great that it nearly wiped out the entire village and what made the problem worse was that no one knew how to seal him back. It wasn't until she stood up against him using the knowledge that she had learned by perusing the documents that that particular Sheikah had left behind that she was able to seal him away again. Only this time she sealed him away beneath the deepest depths of the Shadow Temple that was hidden within the graveyard._

_This incident itself helped give most of the villagers a reason to fear Bongo Bongo and when more knowledge of him came to light especially in regards to what abilities he possessed when he was alive, more fear and hatred grew towards him. Which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that Sheik, too, possessed the same ability that that murderer had. And due to the stigma that the ability now carried, most people feared that Sheik would turn into another Bongo Bongo and would ravage their village. There were even those who believed that he was a reincarnation of the man who had come back to haunt them. Hence why no one wanted to associate with him and why they gave him glares when he had not yet done anything to earn them._

_However though, there was also something else the eye symbolized, which a lot of the Sheikah, including the Elders, tried to ignore or forget conveniently due to the fact that they wanted to keep hanging on to their fear-centered thoughts. It meant that he was the legendary Guardian of Shadows. And the Guardian of Shadows was the Sheikah who was destined to guide and train the next incarnation of the Hero through their journey. It was a task given to that particular Sheikah by both the Royal Family and the Sages (more so the Sages as it was mainly their idea) and they specifically said that the sign for whom this person was would be that they would bare the 'Lens of Truth' as a mark. This eye would help the guardian with their task._

_But even though this legend was told throughout the tribe and everyone was wondering when that person would appear, when that time did come though they treated him with such scorn. His aunt tried to glean over their hatred by stating that most of the Sheikah believed that the 'Lens of Truth' comment in the prophecy was just a reference to the guardian being born with the birthmark and nothing else. But even though she tried to see things from their perspective, she also agreed with Sheik that they had no right to treat him as they did. Yes, Bongo Bongo was a bad person, but he and Sheik were completely different people and they weren't the same._

_In fact, it was her staunch position on this that helped protect him in the village. Due to her high up position, she was able to use it to protect him and specifically set in place laws that would prevent others in the village from hurting him in any way or, in the case of the Elders, banishing him. He truly regretted that it had to come to that though. If there was one wish in life he would make, it would be to have friends and people that he could trust. It would also be nice to have more people in his life that cared about him and didn't treat him like he was the spawn of Demise. Currently he had his aunt who was the only person he could trust and who cared about him. He did have his parents at one time, but sadly they passed away over a decade ago when a horrible sickness came through the village and they became two of its victims. That was how he came to be under his aunt's care. But even though he now had his aunt to help fill the void that his parents left, he still missed them._

_Sheik found himself drawn out of his thoughts when he saw the building where the Chieftess could be found appear to both he and the Elder's left. They nodded to the two Sheikah warriors that stood on either side of the door and they allowed them to pass. Once he passed through the door, he entered the foyer of the room and saw before him to his left, a flight of stairs that led to the quarters of who lived there as well as some that were reserved for guests of the Chieftess. One of those quarters happened to be his and another one was his aunt's. Directly in front of him though was a set of double doors that led to a small room where the meeting room could be found. Within the meeting room was also a fire that was kept going all the time. The reason for this was because this flame was a gift from the legendary sages that was meant to give them different signs when significant events had occurred or where about to. One of those events that the flame reacted to he was told was when he was born and symbolized his place in the prophecy (although at the time they didn't know of that)._

_He heard Elder Kai begin to walk forward and he turned to watch him continue to walk until he stood beside the double doors. “The Chieftess is in the meeting room.” He saw him grimace as he said his next words. “She wished to see you alone.”_

_Sheik nodded once and began walking towards the doors. He could feel the Elder's stoney stare on him as he made his walk, but he elected to ignore it since he knew that no matter what he said or did to him would make him stop. He entered the next room where the flame was held and closed the door behind him. He sighed in relief. One thing he appreciated about these doors was that there were also magically sealed to prevent eavesdropping. Which meant that he didn't have to keep his opinions to himself now that he was in here._

_He let go of the doorknob and began walking towards the flame which was currently glowing a dull red and bright orange. He sat down before the fire onto a sitting cushion. He didn't see anyone else in the room with him, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before she would arrive._

_As soon as that thought left his mind, he heard the door that was to his right quickly open and close. He glanced over to see who had entered and he wasn't surprised to see that it was his aunt. She gave him a quick nod of acknowledgment and moved to go sit across from him on another cushion._

_Sheik took this moment to speak. “You called for me, Aunt Impa?”_

_He watched as his aunt looked at him with a serious look in her red eyes. “Yes, Sheik, I did.” She took a deep breath before saying her next words. “It's time.”_

_Sheik's eyes widened at the implication of her words. Did she mean what he thought she meant? He barely noticed as she reached to grab something to her right that was wrapped in cloth due to his racing thoughts. She turned back around to face him again. “The flame turned green a few moments ago. You do know what that means, right?”_

_Sheik nodded. He remembered the words she had told him in regards to his destiny: '_ When the flame turns green, it means that it is time for you to start your journey of guiding the Hero. _' Ever since he had heard those words from her back during his early days of training, he wondered when that time would come. But now that it did, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. All he knew for sure was that once he left to fulfill his destiny, his life would never be the same again._

_He took a deep breath. “When do I need to leave?”_

_“As soon as you can. Only grab what is necessary such as food for a few days and weapons that you might need to defend yourself just in case.”_

_He nodded. “What about the gifts though? Those do go to the Hero, correct?”_

_The 'gifts' he mentioned was referring to the sword and shield that was crafted by their best blacksmiths. They were made to be given to the Hero and to show that the Hero had the loyalty and respect of the Sheikah clan. Although traditionally the clan swore fealty to the Royal Family, it was also known that that loyalty extended to the Hero as well. Although for at least two centuries the clan had no contact with the Royal Family. The reason for that was by an order given to the Sheikah who had survived the last Great War that ravaged Hyrule. Many people and species were wiped out due to that war and the Royal Family insisted that the Sheikah stay out of Hyrule for the time being and allow themselves to heal from the war and to regrow their numbers. This was essential especially since the Guardian of Shadow would be a Sheikah and it was imperative that the tribe survived. Not to mention they had other duties they had to attend to that mainly consisted of protecting the Shadow Temple where inside lay an item that was essential to beating the man whom was currently sealed away within the Sacred Realm._

_His aunt appeared to think on this for a few moments before answering. “No. Those items will only weigh you down. Besides it would be best to keep them here. You can bring the Hero back here where we can give him the items and explain to him what is going on.” Sheik watched as she unwrapped the item she had been holding in her grasp. His eyes widened as he saw it._

_It was a golden harp. And from the design of it, he could tell that it wasn't any ordinary harp either. From what he could recall in his studies it looked like the one that once belonged to first member of the Royal Family of Hyrule. “Is that-?”_

_His aunt nodded. “It is. This harp is the same one that you remember reading about in your history books. It was given to us by the Royal Family for the Guardian of Shadows to use.” Sheik quirked an eyebrow. That was a new part of the prophecy he had never heard of. His aunt must've known what he was thinking for she grinned. “Why do you think I had you go through those harp lessons?”_

_She stretched out her arms over the fire, which was low enough to not burn her or harm the precious object, and went to hand the harp over to Sheik. Once it got near enough, he cradled it gently and brought it closer to him to look at the tiny details the object had on it. The harp itself had indentations located on the bottom of it that had been carved into it to look like what were wings. A small portion of these wings were blocked by a yellowed cloth that had been wrapped around it tightly. Sheik figured the reason for this was because it was hiding a blemish on the harp's surface. It made sense considering that if this harp was that old, it would've gained some imperfections._

_After looking at for a few more seconds, he glanced back up at his aunt. “So, how am I supposed to use this exactly?”_

_“Remember all those songs I had you learn to play and memorize? Well this harp has magical properties that will allow the effects you learned that those songs make actually happen.”_

_He looked back down at the harp. He was shocked and a little excited to hear that all those stories he heard about those songs actually were true. A smile formed on his face underneath his scarf. He couldn't wait to try them out._

_“Here.”_

_Sheik looked away from the harp to see his aunt handing him a piece of rolled up parchment. He gently placed the harp onto the ground next to him and grabbed the paper before the flame caught hold of it. He unrolled it to see what was written. It looked like a map to him. His aunt confirmed his line of though. “This is a map of Hyrule or at least how Hyrule looked a couple of centuries ago.”_

_Sheik gave his aunt a look. “Hyrule has changed since then?”_

_“I'm not for certain on that, but I know that after the Great War, there was some extensive damage that was done to many places all around Hyrule, so I'm pretty sure some of the landscapes have changed. But I don't think it would be that much to where you couldn't find who you are looking for.” Sheik nodded and rolled the parchment back up. He certainly hoped that Hyrule didn't look too far from how it looked on the map otherwise he anticipated running into some problems. “One thing I would recommend though,” his aunt spoke again, “is buying or obtaining a map of the current Hyrule before the true journey begins otherwise having this map might end up being a great hindrance.”_

_He nodded. “That will be one of the first things to get on my list.”_

_Sheik grabbed the harp in his left hand and moved to stand up. “Is there anything else I need to know, Aunt Impa?”_

_His aunt smiled at him and stood up before him as well. “Just one thing: be careful. I'm sure Hyrule has changed much since we Sheikah have last stepped foot there so there is no telling how dangerous it is or how different it may be. Stay hidden in the shadows and only reveal yourself to the Hero. We don't need to alarm the people there with our presence. They haven't seen us for some time so it would seem frightening or alarming for some people there to suddenly see us now.”_

_Sheik nodded. “I shall.” He turned to walk back through the double doors and to his quarters, but stopped before he completely reached them to turn around and bow to her. “I will see you when I return with the Hero.”_

_He watch her nod her acknowledgment to him and he turned back towards the doors to open them. He needed to get up to his quarters as quickly as he could so that he could prepare to leave. The sooner he could get away from here, the better._


	5. Chapter 4 - Golden Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ..will come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also posted on my devART, FF.net and Tumblr (links in profile)
> 
> ~~
> 
> Here's the second half of what would have been the third chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

~~

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**

Flames of Change

_Chapter 4: Golden Light_

By: knowlee

~~

Lin was excited when her eyes caught the first glimpse of her house. It certainly was a sight for sore eyes. Even though she was only gone for a few days, it still felt wonderful to see it even after a short time. She dismounted from Epona and while still holding her reins she began to lead her towards the small shed that was attached to the wooden house.

Epona stood in place while Lin moved to push open the large door attached to the shed in order to allow her horse to come inside. Once it was open, she flipped a switch found inside that allowed the electric currents that were flowing from the reserves located near the outskirts of the village to continue to move into the circuits that had been built into her home. These reserves provided lights, heat and warm water to the people of Kokiri and were powered by the ore that came from deep within the mines that were found in Gerudo Tribe. The mechanics that hailed from Oocca helped build the technology that allowed this to exist.

Although Lin found the mechanics behind this to be fascinating, she knew her brain wasn't built to handle projects such as those. She did like to solve puzzles and help figure things out but she knew that even though she liked tackling things like that, she also knew that she couldn't be trusted to take on a big project such as that. She knew her limitations.

Once they both had entered the shed far enough, Lin turned around to close the door behind them. After that was done, she continued to lead her horse over to her stall where she let her enter. Lin removed the saddle from Epona's back and took the reins off of her head. She grabbed a brush that was located in a basket next to the horse's stall and used it to brush the dirt off of her trusted friend. She made a mental note to try and see if she could give the horse a bath tomorrow sometime as she was continuing to brush the dirt off while also making sure to keep her other hand that wasn't currently occupied with something touching Epona to keep her from getting spooked and accidentally hurt her.

As she brushed her horse, she found herself humming the song that her friend Malon had taught her. The redhead had said that Epona was fond of the song and when Lin was attempting to try to see if she could ride her the first time, Malon offered to teach it to her. Lin laughed as she remembered the look on her friend's face when she saw Epona come straight to her after singing it the first time. And now that Lin was singing the song again, Epona heard her and neighed in happiness.

After all the dirt was brushed off she placed the brush back in its original place. She ensured that her horse had enough feed in her trough to eat as well as enough water and patted her horse on the nose while closing the door to her stall. As Epona began eating the food, Lin started to head for the door that was next to the stall. She flipped the switch off located next to the door to turn off the lights in the shed and opened the door to allow herself into her home.

As she began walking into the main part of the building, she felt around on the wall next to the door to find the switch that turned on the lights there. Once her hand located it, she turned it to the on position. Now that the lights that were hanging overhead were activated, illuminating the room below, she was able to find where she needed to go.

She shut the door behind her and immediately began heading over to a small vanity that was to her left. On her way to that location, she pulled her bow off of her chest and detached the quiver from her belt. Once she reached the piece of furniture, she leaned the bow and quiver against it and then began working on removing the holster for her hunter's knife that was attached to her upper right thigh. With that done, she began removing the fingerless gloves she wore as well as the Gerudo bands of cloth that she had received during a trip to the Gerudo Tribe as a prize for winning their archery match a few years ago. She pulled off the blue top and white long-sleeved shirt she was wearing to reveal a white tank top underneath and a tattoo of the symbol of the Kokiri Tribe showing that she was a member of the hunters on her upper right arm near her shoulder.

After folding the two shirts neatly and placing them down onto the vanity next to the other items she removed, she began to use the mirror attached to it to examine her face. From what she could tell, Lin didn't see any cuts or scrapes that that she might have received from the metallic beast that attacked her. She was still curious as to why it attacked her in the first place though. At the same time, she knew she was also a little bit upset about the fact that the arrow that she had won as a prize during that match was gone before she could even examine it further. She didn't know what compelled her to use it during the confrontation, but nonetheless she was proud of the end result.

Lin continued to examine her face and upon turning her head to the right, she noticed the singed ends of her ponytail. At first she was a little confused as to what happened, but then she remembered the creature shooting a beam of blue light at her and feeling its heat nearly sear her as it shot by. She was a little bit annoyed by the sight as now this would require her to cut those hairs off, but she knew at the same time that she should also be thankful. That beam could've hit her directly and that would've been worse than just a few singed hairs. ' _Kinda needed to trim my hair anyway…_ '

She looked back down at the vanity to see a cup that was filled with various pencils and other nick-knacks. Using the fingers on her left hand, she pushed the items inside it around until she found a pair of scissors. She grabbed them, moved herself into a position that allowed her to see that part of her head in the mirror and began to cut away the burnt hair.

Once all the singed hair was removed she took out the hair ties that were holding her hair back. She put the scissors back down onto the vanity and picked up a hairbrush that was sitting next to it and began to run it through her hair. After that was done, she sat down in a chair that sat next to it and removed her boots.

After setting her boots aside, she glanced over at the bathroom area that was across from her and then moved her eyes over to her bedroom that was over to her left. She debated for a few moments whether or not she should just head straight to bed now since she did have to get up in the morning or to take a bath first. Either option sounded great to her, but after the thought crossed through her mind about if she went to bed now she would have to sleep in the grime and filth she had gotten during her journey home, she decided that the bath was the best choice to take. ' _I think I remembered to get some shampoo before I left… I hope anyway…_ '

~~

While wrapping a towel around her wet hair, Lin walked into her bedroom. She had shut off the lights to the other parts of her home already, so she made her way to her bed and switched on the lamp that was on her nightstand. The light coming from the lamp shone onto a book of Hylian legends that she had left sitting on the piece of furniture before she went to head to Oocca Town for the ceremony. The book told many different stories about the mythology and history surrounding Hyrule. Some of those stories in particular were about one of her favorite legends that she had loved since she was a child: the Hero of Time.

She didn't know exactly why he was her favorite, but for some reason she could relate to him more when compared to the other Heroes of legend. Like her, he grew up in a village named Kokiri, had a penchant for horses and held an affinity for archery. The other parts of his story she held no close connection to, but she always dreamed of going an adventure like his and experiencing different cultures. 

Sure, she had done some of that since becoming a Kokiri Hunter, but at the same time it wasn't exactly like his story was told. None of the original creatures or cultures that the Hero of Time met existed anymore. They were wiped out during the Great War that occurred about 200 years ago. The only things that were left to remind people that they once existed were the ruins that lay where they once lived as well the names and traditions held by the current tribes in Hyrule that shared their namesakes.

Some examples she could think of that her own tribe of Kokiri possessed that could be linked back to the original one was the fact that both of their civilizations lived in a forest, the symbol that represented them and the Kokiri Hunters were the same, and the fact that the 'guardian' aka leader of their tribe was symbolized by a fairy. There were also a few ceremonies and traditions they celebrated during certain parts of the year that could be directly linked to them as well. And although she wasn't entirely sure about the other tribes of Hyrule, she knew from visiting them occasionally and from her friend Malon that they too had close similarities with their namesakes.

Lin smiled at a memory that came to her mind. Even though she found it sad as a child to hear from her parents that those people she had grown fond of in her stories were no longer around, when she would play pretend and act as the Hero of Time (and occasionally as a Zora), she would imagine encountering those people.

The smile on Lin's face disappeared as another thought came to her. There was another reason why she would pretend to be her idol. She lifted her left hand to waist level and looked down at it. 

They shared the same birthmark.

She took her right hand and held her left one while rubbing her thumb over the symbol that looked like three triangles that came together to form a bigger one. She had bore this birthmark ever since she was born and was told by her parents to always hide it and to never tell anyone that it was there.

At first she was confused at this and then one day when she was reading one of the stories that was found in the same book sitting on her nightstand, she found a passage that she had not seen before that told that the Hero of Time was also the Juror of Courage. That title meant that he was a wielder of one of the pieces of the Triforce, more specifically the Courage piece.

The same passage also mentioned two others that bore the titles of the Keeper of Knowledge and the Forger of Strength. Those individuals possessed the Triforce pieces of Wisdom and Power respectively. Those pieces connected the three individuals together and to show that they bore the pieces of the powerful relic, they each had a birthmark resembling the Triforce that could be found on the back of their dominant hands.

It was after that revelation that her parents simply told her that her destiny was a great one and to keep it hidden. As a child, she never bothered to question her parents further on what they meant by ' _her destiny was a great one_ ' and now that she was older and her parents were no longer with her, she regretted that she never pressed them more on the issue. The only hint she had to what they were referring to was the story found in the book and even then she was more confused.

How would she have gained a piece of the Triforce in the first place? She obviously wasn't the Hero, as all of his incarnations including her favorite one was a male. And as far as she knew, the Wisdom piece, according to the stories, was in the hands of the Royal Family and she knew for a fact that she had no relation or connection to them. The only one left was Power, and according to what she heard about a later incarnation of the Hero was that Ganondorf, the man who previously wielded the piece, had died in a battle with him.

But there couldn't be a reason why she would be wielding that piece (if it was even that). She definitely knew that she was far from being a powerful person and the pieces the wielders held were supposed to represent them.

She sighed as she lowered her hands and moved to climb into her bed to go to sleep. She was hoping to probably come across some answers while in Oocca since she going to actually see the Royal Family, but that never came to fruition. She pulled the towel off of her hair and threw it towards the clothes hamper found near her bed. She frowned when it missed, but she shrugged since she didn't feel like getting back up out of her bed to grab it and put it in its proper place. She'd get it in the morning.

After that, she went to turn off the light on her nightstand and pull the covers over her while simultaneously moving to lay down in her bed. ' _Maybe one day I will figure out what the symbol means and what my destiny is supposed to be._ '

And with that thought drifting through her mind, Lin closed her eyes and with the combination of her feeling tired out from her journey and the comfortableness of her mattress she soon fell asleep.

~~

The sound of a cucco crowing in the distance reached Lin's ears as she laid in her bed. She groaned in irritation as she _really_ didn't want to get out of her warm bed. Unfortunately though she knew she had to. Lin really wished that Navi had went ahead and let her take her vacation now instead of later. She was looking forward to having it when she was headed home yesterday.

But nothing could be done about it now so Lin decided to drag herself out of her bed otherwise she'd just end up falling asleep again and be late for her job. And even though Navi would probably be a bit understanding, seeing as she just got back from traveling, there was a small chance that she wouldn't. Navi did try to be fair and understanding to people, but when she told someone that a job needed to be done, she expected it to happen. A line had to be drawn somewhere.

As Lin pulled herself out of bed, she stretched to fully wake herself up and threw the blankets off of her. She moved to the edge of her bed and put her feet on the ground, hissing slightly at the cool floor touching her feet suddenly. She rubbed her eyes with her hands in an attempt to get the sleep out of them. While stretching one more time to help wake herself up more, she stood up off her bed and began to walk to her dresser than to grab a fresh set of clothes to wear.

Once there, she first grabbed some bindings that she had setting on top of her dresser. She wrapped them around her chest and after ensuring that it was secured properly, went to put on the fresh clothes that she had retrieved from the dresser drawers. After all of those were on, she exited her room and headed to the vanity to grab the hair ties that were left there and used them to pull her hair back. Then she grabbed her boots and sat down to put them on her feet. With that done, she moved on to the weapons she needed for the day and began to strap them to their usual positions on her body.

Once she was adequately dressed for a day of hunting, she headed to her small kitchen to grab some breakfast to eat before she headed to where the rest of the hunters would be meeting up before today's hunt would begin.

~~

When Lin arrived near the building where the Kokiri Hunters' brought the game they had hunted and subsequently stored the meat from them, the first thing she saw was Talo who was attempting to get the hunters grouped properly into teams that would take different areas of the forest to hunt. Even though she was a good distance away, she could tell that he was having difficulties doing this task and from what she could see, she could understand why Navi believed that he wasn't quite cut out for leadership just yet.

She sighed. No wonder Navi held off on her vacation.

As she got closer to the group, a few of the hunters saw her and began to give her their greetings; a few of them even showed looks of relief on their faces. Apparently those individuals had noticed the same things that the Cheiftess had too.

“Ah, Captain Lin, you're back!”

Once those words were spoken, everyone who was assembled turned to look at her as she approached.  Nearly the entire group of hunters immediately swarmed her, most of whom were asking her questions regarding Oocca Town and the castle. She tried to quickly answer their inquiries, but at the same time she tried to get their attention back onto the task at hand. After she succeeded at that, she managed to detangle herself from the crowd and went to stand by Talo who bore a disgruntled look on his face. At her arrival though, he quickly wiped the expression from his face and replaced it with a look of happiness.

“Nice to see you again, Captain!”

Lin nodded at him in response. “Hello, Talo!” Immediately afterward, she began to do damage control to help get everything in order, but she wanted to do it in a way where the man before her wouldn't feel like he was inadequate at the job he had temporarily taken. “Thanks for your help, Talo. I do appreciate it. I'll take it from here though. You can take a break from the leadership role now.”

Although she knew she had worded what needed to be said in the nicest way possible, she could tell that he was still a bit irritated. To his credit though, he didn't show it. “Your welcome, Captain. Nice to see you back.” He then went to move to stand with the other Kokiri Hunters who were now looking at her for guidance for today's hunt.

Lin took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. Bringing her right hand up to chin in a thinking pose, she looked at the crowd of hunters standing before her and used them as a visual reference in order to form groups that would work efficiently together. It took her a few minutes to properly figure out how the groups should work, but eventually she was able to work out a proper solution. She smiled at her success. _Yes, this would work._

With a look of authority shown on her face, she brought her right hand back down to rest against her side. She began to give her orders. “Talo,” He looked up at her with a look of questioning. “I want you to take Bo and Hanch with you to hunt in the south western portion of the forest.”

She watched as Talo nodded at her words and quickly gathered the two hunters she had mentioned in order to be ready to move out when she gave the word. Lin turned her attention to the next group leader. “Eagus! You, Parrow and Stritch will be grouped together in this hunt and I want you guys to head to the direct south portion of the forest.”

“Yes, Captain!” Although Eagus was not that high up in the rankings, he did show promise for being able to move up in the ranks. His skills, natural leadership and attention to detail were good examples of this and it was one of the reasons why Lin chose him to lead one of the groups. She smiled at his eagerness for the task ahead and as he moved to join with his group.

Now it was time for the last group. She would be the leader of this one and the two she chose to join her were two hunters that she found that she worked better with in terms of speed and efficiency. The same could be said about the previous two groups as well. With how she grouped them all together, it was practically guaranteeing that each group would bring back enough game to prepare and store for the winter season.

“The last group for today's hunt will consist of me, Beth and Gully. We will take the southeastern part of the forest.” The two hunters she had mentioned nodded their consent and waited for her to continue speaking. “Everyone stick close to your group and watch each others' backs! You all know how dangerous the forest can be and I would hate to find out that one of you were hurt out there. And lastly, regardless of how much hunting you've done or attempting to do, head back to the village when the sun is nearing the line of trees towards the north. The forest gets especially dangerous at night and we all need to be home before then. All of you guys hear me?”

Lin saw all of the hunters nod at her in understanding. “Yes, Captain!” She nodded in response. “All right then, now that everyone knows their orders, move out!”

The groups she had mentioned began forming together and after discussing a few things, they hurriedly moved on to do the duties that were designated for them. Beth and Gully, the two she had said would come with her, started to head towards her direction in order to get ready to set off for the southeastern portion of the woods.

Before they could get that far though, a voice suddenly cut in, giving them all a start as none of them were expecting it. “HEY! WAIT UP!”

Lin grimaced instantly as she recognized the owner of said voice. Hopefully he wasn't there to flirt this morning. It was way too early to deal with that…

As she turned her head, she saw none other than Mido standing next to her, leaned over trying to catch his breath. Did he run all the way here from his night watch post? “Mido, what are you doing here? Your shift ended this morning.”

Holding up one finger to tell her to 'hold on a minute', Mido slowly breathed the air back into his lungs. Once he finally managed to get his body back in a relaxed state, he leaned back up into a standing position to look at Lin. “Hey, Captain! I was wondering if you needed an extra hunter today. I just got off of my regular duties so I'm available to help.”

Lin was honestly surprised to hear those words pass through his lips instead of his usual flirting routine with her, but at the same time she knew she couldn't be entirely surprised. Although the regular conversations with her tended to be geared towards those kinds of interactions, she did know based on conversations she had with him and other hunters was that he was very dedicated to his job and wanted to do nothing less than the best at it. That was something she could appreciate.

However, she looked at the bags underneath his eyes, she knew that he had to be dead tired. Especially since he did just say that he got off of a night shift, not to mention she knew this for a fact herself since she did run into him on her way back in. He would be better off at his home getting well rested up for his next shift which was tonight if her memory served her correctly. As much as she appreciated his volunteering effort, she knew where he needed to be most.

“I do appreciate the offer though, Mido, but honestly you look like your exhausted and knowing that you're supposed to be doing another night shift tonight it would be best for you to hold off on hunting today.” She frowned to help give emphasis on why she thought this would be a bad idea for him.

Unfortunately he was still stubborn about the idea. “I know I've got another night shift tonight, but I know Kokiri still needs to store up some more meat for the winter for ourselves and for other tribes and I want to help in any way I can.”

Lin sighed. She could see she would have be direct with him. “Mido. I do understand why you want to help. I get it, but for today the best way for you to help would be to go home and get some rest for tonight's shift.” She smiled then at the next sentence she spoke to show the sincerity in her words. “I'll be sure though to put in for you to get some hunting time in next week though, I promise. We need to do some rotation anyway and get some of our nightwatchmen in here to help out with the hunting effort.”

She could see the disappointment on his face, but she could also see that her words finally got to him. “Alright then. I'll see to it that I'll do well in next week's hunt. You can count on it!”

The two nodded to each other and Mido began to walk towards the direction his home was found in. Lin then turned to head towards the two that were in her group. But before she could get too far though, she heard Mido yell back to her. “Good luck, beautiful!”

Lin flinched and felt her face grow hot at his words. There was no telling what her face looked like but she could only guess that it looked red especially when she saw Gully and Beth trying to stifle their laughs from what just happened. She growled lowly as she quickly got control of herself and began heading towards the forest with her two teammates in tow who managed to get their laughter under control too.

He just _had_ to get the last word in, didn't he?

~~

Lin, Gully, and Beth quietly made their way through the trees. They had been on the trail of a group of deer for a little while now and they were hoping that they would soon make contact with them. The three lithely made their way towards to the direction they had seen the tracks heading.

They had only traveled a little bit further when Beth suddenly pointed and whispered, “Look!”

Sure enough when Beth's two companions looked in the direction she was gesturing to, they saw the deer they had been searching for some time now. Lin smiled in triumph at the sight. She quickly motioned to Gully and Beth to silently move into positions that would allow for them to gain a good vantage point on their prey.

She watched the two hunters spread out and hide within the tall grasses growing from the ground. After looking at them for a few more moments to see them bringing out their bows and readying them for releasing arrows, she began to do the same for her own bow.

As quietly as she could she drew an arrow from the quiver attached to her waist and knocked it into the string of her bow. Taking a slow, deep breath she drew the arrow back and aimed for the deer that was closest to her. She stayed quiet for a few moments more in order to ensure that none of the deer had heard either her or her companions. Once she felt that she had a good hit, she was about to release her arrow when suddenly all of the deer looked up in alarm and bolted away from them.

Confused, Lin lowered her bow and let the string grow slack in her hands. What just happened? She looked over in the direction where Beth and Gully were to see them looking at her with the same bewildering expressions. Now she was even more confused. If none of them had made a sound, then what had -?

Her question was soon answered though for suddenly a loud noise boomed before them, catching the attention of all three of them. They all looked in the direction where the noise emanated from, and as soon as the creature that made the noise appeared in their line of sight, Lin's eyes widened.

' _You've got to be kidding me…!_ '

Sure enough, it was another one of those creatures that had attacked her yesterday when she was in Hyrule Field. She had thought that one was the only one, but apparently that wasn't the case seeing as there was now another one standing before them.

Lin saw its head quickly spin around like it was searching the forest for something. She felt her stomach turn to lead. It wasn't her it was trying to find, was it? She was thinking about the theory she had about the previous one that attacked her. She prayed that wasn't the case.

“What _is_ that thing?” Lin heard Beth whisper in shock. Apparently this was her first time seeing one of these things which also helped confirm Lin's suspicions that none of these had been seen before.

Suddenly she heard the creature's head spin violently towards the direction where Beth was hiding. Both Lin and Beth's eyes widened in fear. It had heard her. Lin's eyes widened even more when she saw its central eye began glowing blue.

She gasped as she quickly returned her arrow to her quiver and began bolting towards Beth. There was no time for hesitation especially if it was about to do what she thought it was. Once she drew closer to the hunter she launched her body at her using the momentum her body had gained during her run to knock her out of the way. Lin felt the familiar feeling of the beam's heat as it passed by them.

The two hunters tumbled to the ground and once they regained their bearings, Beth turned to her. “What was that for?” But before Lin could respond, she heard Beth gasp as the girl looked to where she was just sitting at. Lin turned to follow her gaze and her eyes widened again.

Sitting in the place Beth was just at was a scorch mark. Lin suddenly felt nauseous. If she hadn't gotten to her in time…

Suddenly her attention was drawn away from the scorched ground to Gully as she heard him yell out, “RUN!”

Lin looked away from the other hunter to glance back at the creature and saw that it was now heading straight in their direction. Lin quickly jumped to her feet and grabbed Beth's hand to pick her up off the ground to get her moving. The three hunters began running as fast as they could from the creature. Every so often she could hear the beams being shot from the monster in an effort to stop them.

As they continued to run, a thought suddenly occurred to her. They couldn't lead the creature to the village. She hated to imagine what would happen if they led it there. That only left one option then. She glanced back at the creature to see it continue to barrel after them. It was getting closer.

As she was running, she quickly grabbed an arrow out of her quiver and placed into the hand that was holding her bow. After that she went to grab into the small bag she had brought with her to grasp the small bombs that she usually carried with her. While quickly coming up with an idea in her head she yelled to the other hunters to take shelter which the quickly complied with by hiding behind a couple of nearby trees.

With the monster swiftly gaining ground, she stopped running and quickly grabbed a small bit of rope from the same bag that held the bombs and used it to tie the arrow and bomb together. Then just as she finished tying them, she turned to see the robot nearly upon her. Then as if in slow motion, she pulled the string attached to the bomb, lighting it, and drew the bomb arrow into her bow to launch it.

She could vaguely hear Beth and Gully's cries of fear for her safety as she saw the creature draw even closer. She knew that since she didn't have Epona with her, she couldn't gain the vantage point she needed to ensure that she would get a direct it, so she had to make it count. She waited until the last possible moment and when she saw a good opening, she released the arrow.

An explosion rang out upon the bomb's contact with the creature and Lin used the monster's brief lull in attacking to quickly roll under it to allow her to move behind it. She quickly prepared another bomb arrow and before it had a chance to turn around to confront her, she released it to the back of it's head. That explosion caused the being to fall to the ground.

Lin smiled as she heard her two companions' cheers. Looks like she got it. Her smile quickly turned into a frown though when she saw the monster get back up again and turn its head to look back at her. She could tell that based on its actions that now its attention was fully focused on her. Well that's just great…

She moved to prepare another bomb arrow, but before she got another chance, the creature began firing beams at her forcing her to move and not giving her enough time to finish preparing. With every attack it gave, it was forcing her to back away and she was losing ground quickly. It was then that she realized that it was trying to draw her away from her comrades.

Speaking of them, she could hear them calling out her name and she could see that they were readying their own bows to attack said creature and help get the attention off of her. But apparently the monster had realized this and quickly used its beams to cut the two off from her completely by utilizing them to create flames that blocked their access.

Once the creature had done this, it turned its attention back on Lin and began charging towards her while firing more beams. Her eyes widened in fear and she did the only thing she could do at that point.

She ran.

~~

Sheik opened his eyes to see the sunlight filtering through the tree's branches above him. He grimaced as he began to rub the sleep out of his eyes. How long had he been asleep for? Was he that tired? Well, considering that he had been traveling most of the day yesterday, it was understandable for him to be exhausted.

He sighed. Regardless of that though, he knew he needed to get up. He still had a charge to find. He stretched his arms up high above his head to work the kinks out of his muscles that had formed overnight and after that he moved to stand up on the thick branch he had fallen asleep on. Once he was standing, he went to adjust the scarf that hung around his neck to cover his mouth, but found himself drawn away from finishing the action when he suddenly heard a shrill noise come from behind him.

He quickly jerked his head towards the direction the noise came from to see a blue beam, not unlike the one he saw come from that strange creature that had attacked that woman yesterday, heading straight for him. His eyes widened when he saw it, but luckily thanks to the instincts he had drilled into him by his aunt, he quickly jumped off of the branch he was standing onto another one just as the beam made contact with it.

 _Well, if I was tired before, that certainly woke me up…_ He found himself thinking as he landed lithely onto a branch that was connected to a different tree located near the other one.

Sheik turned his red eyes over towards the direction the beam had emanated from. Was another one of those creatures in the forest? Soon enough he got his answer for he saw one of them appear through the den of trees and from what it looked like, it seemed as if it were chasing something. He looked down before it to see that it was the same woman he saw yesterday being chased by the metallic monster.

His eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight. Were these things chasing her? Why? He had to admit it was suspicious since he had already seen one of them barreling after her the day before and now there was another one doing the same. What did they want from her?

He didn't have long to think on this for he saw the woman turn around to face the creature and try desperately in an attempt to fend it off and while she was doing well for being on foot, she obviously wasn't having the same luck as last time. He grimaced in empathy with her pain as he watched the monster block the attacks she made and then when it saw an opening in her defenses, it threw one of its arms at her and knocked her violently into a tree. After that she didn't make a move as the being began heading towards her again.

He knew then he had to make a move. His aunt's words whispered in his mind about not interfering, but just like yesterday when he nearly jumped in to help her that time, he knew that it would not sit well with him if he just sat there and watched her die when he could have very well prevented it.

After quickly putting on scarf over his mouth, he utilized his speed and agility and leapt from the branch he was standing on to begin running towards her. Then using his magical prowess, he began gathering the shadows found all around the forest to come to him. He had only one shot to make this work.

~~

Lin felt pain radiate throughout her body when she made contact with the tree trunk. She was quite tempted to stay lying there on the ground, but her mind was screaming at her to get up otherwise she'd be killed by the metallic beast.

Slowly but surely, she began to force herself up off the ground, but apparently she wasn't moving fast enough. When she moved her head to look up at the creature that was now practically standing over her, she saw one of its claws reaching for her, getting ready to grab her. Her eyes widened in fear as she tried to force her legs to move and dart out of the way, but the pain was still coursing through her. The adrenaline pumping through her veins was helping to ebb out some of it, but it hadn't gotten rid of it all.

The claw grew closer to her even more until it was nearly touching her. But before it got too close, suddenly Lin saw a strange man move in front of her and conjure up a dark shield that protected them both from the metallic appendage. She gasped in a mixture of both fear and surprise at the sight, but at the same time she was relieved that she was safe for the moment.

Sheik held the shield that he formed out of shadows against the claw that was reaching for the woman. He knew it couldn't hold it back for long so he quickly began making the shield bigger by drawing in more shadows into it. He didn't see the woman's face to see that she was surprised and fascinated by the action, he was too focused on the task at hand.

Once the shadows had gathered enough, with one fluid motion, he sent the shadows flying towards the metallic creature causing it to be sent back by a few feet which made it lose its footing and fall to the ground. Lin's eyes widened as she watched the feat being performed before her. Was what he was doing magic? Just who was this guy?

Lin's breath hitched as she saw him suddenly turn his stare to look back at her. She was momentarily stunned by the color of it. She had never seen red as an eye color before. Then she heard him speak. “You alright?”

It took a few seconds for Lin to register that he was talking to her, but once she got over that she nodded in response. “Yeah.” She shifted her body weight onto her knees and began to slowly pick herself up off  the ground. The pain was beginning to go away now, but she knew once the adrenaline wore off, she wouldn't be able to move for a while.

Sheik watched as she moved to stand up on her feet. Good, at least she wasn't hurt too badly. He turned his attention back to the creature that was now forcing itself back onto its legs. He was sure that if it could show emotion, it would probably be cursing him right now.

He released a breath he didn't know he was holding and turned to glance back at the woman. “Do you know why this thing is attacking you?”

Lin shook her head. His guess was as good as hers. “Honestly, I have no idea.” She frowned in irritation as she thought about the one that attacked her on her way home. “I was hoping the one from yesterday would be the last I'd ever see of these things.”

Sheik narrowed his eyes as he thought of the incident she was referring to. He turned back to the creature, who was now fully back on his legs, and mentally went over what he remembered from the last encounter she had with the creature. He grabbed a few kunai from one of his pouches attached to his legs and moved into a fighting position. “The weak point is the eye, correct?”

A surprised look formed on Lin's face. How did he know that? “Yeah… it can be hit in the eye and be destroyed, but… how did you know that?”

Sheik knew he probably shouldn't make it seem as if he were stalking her (which technically he was, in that he was using her to try and find his charge, but that was besides the point), but he also knew that he needed to be honest about the fact that he did come across the battle she had the previous day. “Let's just say that I happened to come across your encounter with the same creature the other day when I was journeying. I saw that you attacked it directly in its eye so naturally I assume this one will fall the same way.”

She didn't hear him hesitate in his answer so it seemed to her like he was telling the truth, but at the same time she knew she needed to be careful. She didn't know him well enough to trust him, but…

She looked at the creature to see it now charging straight towards them. ...Currently it looked like she had no choice but to do just that.

“We need to move, now!”

Lin pulled herself out of her thoughts when she heard the man's words and allowed her instincts to guide her. Both her and the mysterious guy narrowly leapt out of the way of the oncoming monster in opposite directions and then began focusing on making attacks that would hit what they both believed was its weak point. She grabbed an arrow from her quiver to set it in her bow and kept it at the ready just in case an opening came about.

Sheik was doing the same with his kunai. He held a small assortment of them in the grasp of his fingers in his right hand ready to fly when the opportunity presented itself. At the same time though, he was using his left hand to move his hair out of the way of his left eye to allow him to see if the lens of truth could see any other potential weaknesses the creature might have (while simultaneously making sure the woman didn't catch sight of the marking on his eye).

The creature reeled back from its charge to turn back around to attack the targets it had missed. Using his magical eye, he attempted to search the monster only to see nothing that looked like a vital weakness to him. He cursed in the ancient Sheikah language at his misfortune at finding anything. He let go of his hair and grabbed some more kunai with his free hand out of another pouch. Looks like they'd have to work on what information they already had.

A beam shot out from eye of the monster towards Sheik and as quickly as it headed for him, he flipped out of its path. In retaliation, while he was still in the air from the flip, he threw the weapons he held in his right hand towards it's eye and watched as they hit the intended target. He smirked under his scarf as he could see that he got a direct hit. But soon after his feet hit the ground after landing from his acrobatic feat, he frowned as he realized that even though they hit the target dead on, it caused no effect on the creature. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Lin saw his attack and was glad to see it hit the creature's eye, but just like he realized, she saw that it didn't faze the being. But he hit it… so why didn't it do anything? She didn't have time to ponder this long for the creature began to retaliate against the attack Sheik had made against it. 

It swung its arms towards the man in an attempt to do what it had done to Lin earlier, but he was able to use his natural agility to easily dodge the maneuvers. However the swift attacks that were being directed towards him wasn't giving him an open shot at attacking the weak point. Lin knew it was her turn to try something now.

Pulling the arrow back that she had already knocked into her bow moments before, she looked for an opening. While running towards one of the creature's presumed blind spots, she waited for one to appear and when it did, she aimed and let the arrow fly. Once again she saw it hit the target as intended, but unfortunately like before it didn't do anything.

She frowned and quickly pulled another arrow out of her quiver to prepare another attack before the creature could respond since now its attention was on her. Sheik, seeing an opening, gathered as many shadows as he could in his hand and like he did before when he was protecting her, threw his hand out to send them towards the metallic beast's legs in an effort to once more knock it off of its feet. 

It worked just as he had planned and once the creature was down, Sheik quickly ran towards the creature and launched himself on top of it, moving towards the part where the eye was located. He unsheathed his tanto sword from the scabbard located on the back of his waist and with one smooth motion went to drive it into the creature's eye...only for it to bounce back from being unable to break through its metallic armor.

Sheik glared at the creature in irritation. Now what?

He didn't have long to debate what to do next, for the eye began glowing and he quickly leapt off of the creature and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he began running towards the woman. Lin was surprised to see him headed her direction, but she soon understood why as the creature had turned its head and was aiming right at her.

Eyes widening, she went to move her feet, but the man was much faster at reacting than she was for once he reached her, he grabbed the wrist portion of the hand that wasn't holding her bow and pulled her into the den of trees located behind her. She heard the loud shrill of the beam sound as it seared past them.

The two were hiding behind a large tree trunk trying to catch their breaths at what nearly occurred back there. Lin was confused at what was happening with the monster. Why wasn't anything working? They both directly hit their marks, even the man next to her stabbed the thing in its eye, but nothing made the creature stop. Was it invincible?

No, it couldn't be. She thought back to the day before when she fought against the other one that attacked her. She was able to destroy it, however she used something else different from what they both were using. It was that arrow. She didn't know exactly what the arrow did to make it explode, but it worked against it. But, she groaned out loud, she didn't have another one. The one she used yesterday was the only one in her possession. Now she really wished she had it back again…

“Why isn't anything working? This is ridiculous!” Lin turned to look at the man standing next to her. She could tell by both the look on his face and the tone of his statement that he was feeling just as mad as her about the situation. And from what foreign words he kept muttering under his breath also helped emphasize that he was not happy. She saw him turn his eye on her with a questioning look. “What did you yesterday that was different? How did you destroy it?”

“Don't you remember since you saw it happen too?” She was still a little annoyed about the fact that he had been apparently following her, but at the same time she knew that she had to let that go. He hadn't done anything to prove that he was out to get her yet. She revealed what she remembered. “The only thing I can think of is the arrow that I used against it. You know the one that glowed?”

She saw his eye narrow in thought. “That one? Was that a type of magic that made it do that?”

She shook her head. “No, its a type of technology that one of the tribes here have built. Anyway, regardless of that, when I used that against it, it destroyed it instantly. Somehow that object worked against it and it may be the only thing that can since none of our weapons seem to work.”

Sheik nodded at this. He looked back at her. “Do you have another one of those things?”

She sighed. “Unfortunately, no. The one I had I got in a place far away from here. They're too expensive to buy in bulk.”

He sighed and closed his eyes in irritation. “So basically you're saying we're screwed.”

She had to chuckle at that statement. “In a way, yes. Unless we can find another way to stop it.”

He opened his eyes. “I'm not sure what we can use against it. As you saw we've done tried everything.” He turned his head quickly when he heard the creature nearing their location. “And we're running out of time to find out a proper solution.”

Lin turned her head to look around the tree trunk to get a better view of the creature that was currently desperately searching for them. She turned her head back around and groaned. What could they do? Just as he said they'd done tried everything in their arsenal. Besides making a beeline for Oocca Town, which was definitely not going to happen, to get one of those arrows, there was nothing they could do. She tried to come up with an idea that they could use, but she was drawing a blank.

“MOVE!”

She immediately jumped when she heard his voice cry out suddenly. She was about to ask him why he said that, when she heard the sound of metallic arms moving. As fast as she could she rolled away from the tree (he did the same in opposite direction) just as one of the arms made contact with the tree trunk, causing it to splinter into pieces from the blow. 

She quickly moved to stand up on her feet and ran to seek shelter behind another tree. She grabbed another arrow from her quiver (she lost the last one after he had grabbed her earlier to make her move) to knock into her bow and glanced into her bag to see if there was anything she could use. When she saw one more bomb leftover in there from her earlier assault on the beast, she momentarily thought to use those, but then she remembered on both occasions that those didn't work. Cursing in anger, she turned her head to see where the creature was in order to try and make another shot. When she finally turned around though, her eyes widened at what she saw.

The creature had the man cornered and was attempting to attack him, but he had put a shield up to protect him from the assault. That shield wasn't going to hold up for long though, she knew. She moved out of her hiding spot.

Sheik silently cursed his luck. Just moments after he had called out a warning to the woman, he barely dodged the attack the metallic beast had made at them both. He was trying to make an attempt to hide like the woman who was with him to try and see if he could find an opening and attack. Although he knew that any attempt he would make would fail, he also knew that he had to do something. During his attempt though, the creature caught up to him and began to try and assault him with its arms. He managed to dodge most of the attacks, but they were coming so fast that he ultimately had no choice but to form a shield over him. Then as he expected, it began to bash its claws against the shield in an attempt to break it and it took everything he had to try and keep his focus on keeping it in one piece.

He knew that wasn't going to work for long though. He could feel the strain of keeping it up slowly get to him and with the creature bashing against it definitely wasn't helping any. He could feel it slowly begin to crack and it was only a matter of time before it either broke or he passed out from keeping it up too long under the pressure. But he had to keep holding it together.

Even though Lin knew the bomb wasn't going to work, she went ahead and attached it to the end of her arrow. She had to gets its attention off of the man in order to give him a chance to break away from it. She pulled the string at the end of the bomb, lighting it, and shot it at the back of the creature's head.

While it did get is attention, how it did wasn't what Lin was hoping. Instead of turning away from him and giving him a moment to collect himself, the beast simply turned its head back around at her and fired another beam. She barely had time to dodge it and the flames that formed from it hitting the ground before her kept her from getting any closer to either it or the man.

She watched as the creature turned its head back towards the man and continued its barrage on the shield which she could see was very close to its breaking point. She quickly grabbed her bag to see if there was anything left in there to use, but she already knew there wasn't. That bomb she just used was the last one. Now what was she going to do?

Suddenly she heard the sound of a loud cracking noise and jerked her head up towards the direction it came from. She gasped as she saw the creature had successfully breached the man's shield and now he was lying on the ground, not moving. She feared the worst.

Instinctively she made to grab for another arrow and even though she knew it wasn't going to have an effect on the creature, she had to do something to prevent it from killing the man. Regardless of who he was or the fact that he had apparently been following her, he had saved her life. She had to do her best to not let him lose his.

She watched as the beast moved to bring is claw down onto the incapacitated man in an attempt to finish him off. Lin pulled the arrow back and aimed in a last desperate attempt to catch the creature's attention. Just as she was about to release the weapon, she felt a strange warm feeling grow on the back of her left hand. She was confused at why she was feeling that and her confusion only grew more when she suddenly saw a bright, golden light appear at the pointed end of the arrow. Her eyes widened. What was going on?

Apparently it wasn't just her who noticed this occurrence. When she managed to break her attention away from the glowing arrow, she saw that the creature had stopped short of assaulting the man and was now staring right at her. Although she wasn't sure what was going on, at least it succeeded at getting the beast's attention away from him.

Sheik slowly opened up his eyes and winced as he felt his head ache suddenly. He was momentarily confused as to why he was lying on the ground when he remembered seeing his shield break before him and the sudden shattering of it caused him to lose consciousness. At the thought of the shield though, he suddenly realized where he was and was about to get up to move when he noticed the creature standing before him. He was expecting it to attack him, but he was confused to see that its attention was not on him, but on something behind him.

He followed its line of sight and his eyes widened as he took in the spectacle before him. There was the woman holding her bow up with an arrow drawn back ready to fire. But the part that surprised and interested him the most was the fact that the arrow was glowing a bright golden color. His heart dropped suddenly as a thought came to him. It couldn't be…

He moved his hand to lift up the hair covering his left eye and his mouth dropped open at the amount of magic his eye was picking up. And the magic was a golden color, a golden color that was the same as what he had read about in his lessons about the legends of Hyrule. He silently gasped as he began to realize who this woman might be.

He didn't get a chance to further his thoughts because he felt the ground shake beneath him when the monster began to charge at the woman. He let go of his hair and tried to get back up on his feet in order to try and stop it especially since now he had a hunch of who she was, although his mind was still reeling from the notion, but he couldn't get up in time. Instead he watched as she released the arrow towards the weak point of the creature and just as he saw last time, once the arrow made contact, it began to shake and sputter before finally exploding in front of them.

He moved his arm to shield his eyes from the brightness of the explosion and when he put it back down  he saw the woman kneeling on the ground trying to catch her breath. He saw the pieces that the creature left behind scattered on the forest ground before them and was shocked to see that what she had done had worked as well as that arrow she had mentioned. His eyes narrowed though. He began to move to pick himself up off the ground. He needed answers.

Lin could feel her head spinning. She was sitting on her knees, hands holding her up off the ground, as she attempted to catch her breath and try not to throw up. What did she just do? She had never done anything like that before…

Although her head was spinning, she managed to glance over at the back of her left hand to where the symbol would be located at if it weren't covered up by her arm guard. Was what she did proof that she did indeed possess a piece of the Triforce? And if that was proof that she was a wielder that still left her with more questions.

She closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to stop the dizziness from making her pass out. Whatever she had done had certainly taken a lot out of her. If this was how it felt for her to draw on what she presumed to be the power of the Triforce, she didn't want to do that anymore.

“What was that?”

Careful not to move her head too suddenly and make her head spin even more, she slowly looked up where she saw the man standing over her. It was then at that moment that she finally took a chance to give him a look over. The battle between them and the creature didn't give her chance to really see what her savior looked like.

The first thing she noticed, other than his ruby-colored eye, was the blonde hair he had sticking out from underneath the weird looking hat he was wearing on his head. Part of his hair was hiding his left eye and he wore a scarf that covered his mouth and part of his nose. And the clothing he had covering his body looked like that of body armor which she found kind of strange. The last thing though that caught her eye was that of a red eye-shaped symbol with a teardrop attached to it that he bore on his chest. It looked familiar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where she had seen it.

It took her a few moments to rack her brain for an answer, but she when she realized what it was, her eyes widened. _It couldn't be, they were supposed to be extinct right?_ But here was one standing right in front of her… “You're… you're a Sheikah!”

His one eye seemed to narrow at her statement, but instead of saying anything mean towards her, he instead leaned down onto one knee in order to be at her eye level. “You're avoiding my question: What did you do?”

She felt her head spin slightly again and moved her left hand up to her forehead to try and steady it and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. “Honestly, I have no clue, but whatever it was knocked the mess out of me!”

Sheik studied the woman closely as his mind began to try and figure out she could be who he was looking for. His eyes then moved to the hand that she had currently touching her forehead. There was one way to find out if she was who he suspected. “I know that this may seem like a strange request, but,” He saw her open her eyes, which he now noticed were blue, to look at him. “may I see your left hand?”

He saw her tense at his question which made him wonder if she knew what he may be asking. His brow furrowed together at the thought of perhaps she was lying about her earlier statement of knowing what she did to the creature, but at the same time, he could also tell that by how her body was reacting to using that powerful form of magic that it wasn't used to it. That helped quell that thought and made him realize that she was speaking the truth. Perhaps she knew about the symbol but didn't understand its significance? Either way, he needed to know what what behind her arm guard.

Lin couldn't lie, she was a little afraid of what he asked of her. It had been drilled into her by her parents before their deaths, that she shouldn't show her mark to anyone, especially strangers, since it could put her in danger. ...But, as she looked at him some more, she knew that he had saved her life and for some reason she didn't feel as if she should fear him. And, she glanced back at the symbol on his chest, if he was a Sheikah, maybe, just maybe, he could give her some answers regarding why she had it. They were said to be quite knowledgeable on Hylian lore.

Against her better judgment, she made her decision. She slowly moved her left hand away from her head, which now luckily stopped spinning so much, but it was still there somewhat, and moved to hold it before the man. She watched as he reached out with his own hands to grab it and slowly unlatch the cuffs that held the arm guard tightly to her arm. She held her breath as the guard was being pulled off of her hand. Even though she knew what lay underneath it, she was worried to see what his reaction might be to him seeing it.

Once the guard was fully removed from her hand, the symbol of the ancient relic of Hyrule was easily able to be seen by the both of them. She went to look at him to gauge his expression. If the situation weren't so serious she was sure that she would have laughed at his face for she saw his eyes widen and could tell (although his face was mostly covered) that he was gaping at what he saw before him. But what she heard him say next though surprised her as much as he was surprised to see the mark.

“ _You've got to be kidding me!_ ”

~~

His blue orbs eyed the mug of booze before him. He growled in anger and quickly downed the alcohol until it was completely gone. He wiped his mouth with his forearm to get rid of some of the drink that had manged to dribble out of his mouth. The glass hit the table before him with a loud thud.

How dare that woman kick him out of his favorite bar! He had been a loyal patron for years and now he's no longer allowed to frequent it due to one lousy remark he made towards one of the people there. The _nerve_ of that, _that_ -! He cursed under his breath.

Now instead of being able to get his usual drink that was prepared for him special down there, he was forced to make it on his own. Although he knew he couldn't complain much on that end since he did have the money to obtain the means to get someone who was able to make good alcohol to drink, it was still the principle of the thing. He also knew that with his power and influence he could easily have the bar shut down, but he also knew that people who knew the owners of it would retaliate against him and that was something that wasn't worth the hassle.

He stood up from the table and stumbled over to the bed he had nearby. He could feel the effects of the alcohol hitting him, making him feel drowsy. But during the process of him maneuvering himself onto the mattress, he saw an object in his room begin to glow suddenly. Although the alcohol was dulling his senses, his eyes widened as he recognized the object. It was something that an employer of his had gifted to him to use for a project he had been hired for. Although the intricacies of the project eluded him, the money spoke to him greatly and plus his employer wasn't exactly someone he could turn down.

Seeing the object glow before him though symbolized that the object it was connected to had picked up something powerful. And that something powerful was what his employer was looking for. He turned his head to the right to look up at the clock hanging on the wall to see that he could probably make it in time to see his employer before their schedule got full. He frowned though, although it probably wasn't a good thing for him to show up to see the person since he full up on alcohol currently. At the same time though, he knew that if he didn't report his finding now, his employer would have his head. Literally.

He sighed and stumbled over to his closet to find some proper clothes. The things he did for money.


	6. Chapter 5 - The Green Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hero has returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also posted on my devART, FF.net and Tumblr (links in profile)
> 
> ~~
> 
> Enjoy!

~~

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**

Flames of Change

_Chapter 5: The Green Flame_

By: knowlee

~~

Princess Zelda smoothed out the few wrinkles she found on her dress as she sat at the breakfast table waiting for her food to be placed before her. She looked up away from the article of clothing to see her father sitting directly across from her. He was leaned over the table, studying some papers that one of his advisers had brought for him to look over.

A noise caught her attention and she looked past her father to see that the doors to the kitchen were opening, letting out some waiters that were carrying their breakfast for the morning. She smiled in delight at seeing her food coming towards her. She was starting to get a bit hungry.

She watched as the waiters carefully placed the food onto the table, making sure that everything was set perfectly according to the table manners that they had learned during their training years. Once everything was done as per protocol, they removed the silver tops that were covering the food that sat out before them. After bowing before the two royals, they turned to leave the room to let them eat their meal in peace.

As she reached to grab her fork and knife to begin to cut apart her eggs, which were made in her favorite way: sunny-side up, she remembered how her father had looked at one of those representatives that came to the castle a few days prior. She didn't know why exactly it was bothering her but she just couldn't get her mind off of it. The way he looked at her was one of surprise and curiosity and it made her wonder what made him react that way.

Zelda glanced up at her father who was still engrossed in his papers and had yet to touch his food. She had meant to ask him about it shortly after that happened, but for the rest of the day, including the few days after, both of their schedules were so filled up that she never got the chance. Today, however, since they were both here now, perhaps she could try and sate her curiosity before something else came up to pull them apart again.

She grabbed a piece of the eggs she had cut with her fork and moved to put it into her mouth. After she had chewed the piece of food, she made the decision to just come out and ask her father what she had on her mind. “Father, I have a question to ask you, if you don't mind?”

At her words, she watched as the silver-haired man looked up from his important documents and at her. She saw a small smile form on his face. “And what may that be, my daughter?”

She pushed her fork into another piece of egg. “A few days ago, when the representatives for the tribes were here to present their tribute, I noticed that you paid particular attention to the one who was from Kokiri. Can I ask why?”

All Zelda heard was silence from her father's end of the table for a few moments and at first she was afraid that perhaps she said something out of turn, but as soon as that thought came to her, she heard her father's deep voice. “Ah, is that what's been on your mind the past few days?”

She saw a small smile form on his face as he spoke the words. So he had noticed her curiosity. He should know that not much could pass her sight. “Yes, I had noticed that you had looked at her like you recognized her somewhere and from what I could recall I don't remember you mentioning ever knowing someone from that far south of here. Naturally that made me wonder why you gave her that look.”

Zelda watched as the smile he had on his face previously change into a frown. She then noticed his eyes had taken on a distant look. This made her slightly worried. Did she say something wrong? When he spoke next, it alleviated her worries. “Well, to be honest with you, Zelda, she reminded me of your mother.”

At the word 'mother', Zelda's left hand immediately went to grab the golden locket that she had hung around her neck. That locket in question was one that her father said belonged to her mother and that inside was a picture of them that was taken before her death by assassins. She had never seen the picture before, but from what he told her, it was a one of a kind photo and wouldn't be found anywhere else.

She remembered trying to open said locket to see the photo inside, but she was unable to do so. From what she could ascertain about that was that there was a certain way she had to unlock it, but she hadn't figured out what it was yet. “She reminded you of mother? How so?”

The food sitting in front of her was now forgotten. She didn't know much about her, since she died when she was very young. Plus her father didn't like to speak of her so much due to what she could tell was his sadness about what had happened. So whenever her father offered up information about her, she was eager to listen.

“She looked nearly identical to her. Her face, eyes, hair; it seemed like I was staring at a younger version of her. I tried not to stare too intently. I didn't want to scare her off, but it was just uncanny how she looked so much like her.”

Zelda thought back to how the woman looked like. As she thought about it she did begin to see why her father had been taken aback. She was certain that if the woman was compared to the official painting of her mother that sat in the hallway showcasing the previous rulers of Hyrule, the two would look nearly identical save for a few things that she was sure would set them both apart.

A chuckle came from her father's lips as he looked down at the table in deep thought. “For a moment there, I had thought that your mother came back from the dead...”

Suddenly Zelda felt upset as she realized how her father must've felt at that moment. Her fingers fell from grasping her locket and went to touch her skirt in nervousness. She was too young to remember much about how her parents interacted with one another, but from what she heard from the servants and guards who saw them, they did act kind to one another and were in love. A small frown formed on her face. She knew she missed her mother greatly and there were times that she desperately wished she were here, but for her father though…

Her frown deepened as she saw her father continue to look down at his now cold breakfast. She knew his feelings towards her mother must feel a lot worse. She was his wife and someone whom he loved deeply. She couldn't honestly begin to imagine his pain about it.

“I'm sorry for bringing up bad memories for you, father. It wasn't my intention to make you feel upset.”

Zelda saw him look up from the table and at her with a small smile on his face. “It wasn't your fault my dear. I will always miss your mother, regardless of how much time passes.”

She smiled back in response. She, too, felt the same.

Before either one of them could move onto different subjects to talk about, a soldier appeared at one of the entryways that led to the dining room. He coughed lowly to announce his presence to the two royals. “Your highnesses?” They both turned to face him as the man continued to speak. “I hate to disturb your morning meal, but the nobles and other people who you have appointments with, my king, have begun to arrive.”

“Ah, so they have. Alright, tell them I will see them shortly.” With that said, the soldier bowed and turned to deliver the message he had been given. Zelda turned her gaze back to her father and he did the same to her. He moved to stand up from the table and began to collect the papers that he had been looking at earlier.  After that was done, he looked up at her with his eyes filled with reluctance. “I'm very sorry for this, Zelda, but unfortunately duty calls.”

Zelda watched as her father left the table and then exited through the same entryway that the soldier had went through. She sighed and looked down at her food which, like her father's, was now too cold to finish. Her hands moved once again to her locket and she began playing with it as her thoughts turned to her mother. She wished she had more memories of her than just what her father told her about her. She wished she were here.

She let those thoughts continue to float around in her head for a few minutes more before drawing herself out of them. She motioned to a nearby servant to take the food that both her and her father had not eaten and had them take it away.

She was sure that her appetite wasn't going to come back anytime soon after that conversation.

~~

Lin was taken aback by his comment. She knew, in the back of her mind, that it would be shocking for anyone outside of herself to see the mark, but for a _Sheikah_ to be surprised at seeing it on her, well, this made her even more curious as to why it was there. From what she could remember reading about the mysterious race, one of the things they were known for was being extremely knowledgeable on most, if not all, of Hyrule's mysteries. So to see one react in a way that showed that even _he_ was confused, was a surprise.

“What you do mean by that?” When those words came out of her mouth, she saw him turn his red gaze from her hand up to her face and from what she could tell, he was surprised by her question.

“Do you not know what this is?” Sheik felt incredulous to think that someone who lived in Hyrule of all places, would not at least knew what the symbol was. It was on the Royal Family's symbol for Goddesses' sake! He felt even more confused when he heard her next statement.

“I have an idea of what it is, but what I want to know is why would I have it.” He raised an eyebrow at this. “You know of the legends?” He asked her while releasing her hand to allow her to support her head once more.

Lin slowly nodded at his question as she brought her hand back up to hold her head. It was still spinning a little bit. “I know about the Triforce and that those who hold pieces of it have the mark on one of their hands, but I don't know why I have it.” She moved to sit on her legs and let her right arm be free from holding her up. She still held her head though with her left hand. “I thought it was just a strange birthmark all this time, but obviously with what happened just a few moments ago, I think we both can agree that that's not the case.”

Sheik watched as she moved her left hand down to look at the symbol. He had to agree with her on that. It was certainly not a birthmark. But even with that fact know acknowledged, it still left a bigger question: What piece did she hold?

He figured that the biggest possibility was that she was the person that he had been searching for. That possibility would mean that she was the newest incarnation of the Hero. But with who she was, not that he was saying anything against gender as he was raised by a female warrior, it didn't seem right. All the legends and stories spoke of a male Hero, not a female one. There was also the slight possibility that she could be connected the Royal Family, but that one was highly improbable. Why would a Royal Family member be out here in the middle of the forest? The last option was a definite no in that that piece was in the Sacred Realm, sealed away with its owner.

But with all the evidence seeming to point to the first option, it seemed like the most likely candidate. How could he be for sure though? He didn't want to automatically make an assumption only to discover that it was no where near the truth. He needed to be sure of what he thought.

“What do you think it means? Am I a holder of the Triforce?” Lin heard the Sheikah sigh at her questions. She saw him look at her intensely. “I would say that it's a possibility considering with how you made that arrow of yours turn into a Light one.”

“A Light Arrow?” Lin thought back to the golden light she saw swarm around the arrowhead. Was that what she made? She looked away from the symbol and towards him as she watched him nod in affirmation. “Yes, a Light Arrow is a powerful form of magic that's usually exclusive to Triforce Wielders only.”

“' _Usually_ '?”

She saw him nod again. “I say 'usually' because its the only people I've ever heard of wielding it save for perhaps the Sage of Light. Which I don't think that's you.”

Lin looked back down at the symbol. Well, that was proof of being a Triforce wielder if she ever heard of one. But the question still remained: which piece did she hold? She looked back up to see the man possibly thinking the same thing as he had a pensive expression on his face. Or at least she thought he did. It was hard to tell with the scarf and hair in the way…

Sheik was thinking of a way to be able to tell for sure what she was. More than likely she was the Hero who he was supposed to guide and protect throughout the journey they were meant to take. He still wanted to be for sure on that though. ' _Hmm…_ '

An answer came to him. Perhaps his aunt would know… She was more well versed than he was in things that tells who someone's true form is. And she did tell him to bring the Hero back to the village when he found him… or her in this case, if the evidence held up. He looked back over to the woman again to see her looking at him with a confused look. It was decided then.

Lin watched as the Sheikah stood up before her and offered his hand to her. As she was still debating whether or not to grab his hand, he spoke. “I know of someone I can take you to who will be able to tell for sure who you are. But you're going to have to trust me.”

Lin wasn't sure about whether or not she should. ...But considering that she already showed him her birthmark, she had a hunch that she could trust him. However she still wasn't entirely sure if she should go somewhere with him all on her own. She bit her lip in nervousness.

Sheik could see the mental debate going on in her head. He could understand her hesitance in wanting to go with him. For all she knew he turn around and kill her when she least expected it. He had learned the hard way himself not to completely trust people. Because of that, he couldn't blame her for feeling that way towards him. But, seeing as they really needed to figure out who she was, he knew she had no choice in the matter. “Look I understand it's not the most ideal thing to go somewhere with a stranger by yourself, but you want answers, right?” He saw her nod. “And considering that I didn't let that creature kill you back there, do you honestly think I'd turn around and do that to you after going to all that trouble?”

Lin stopped her nervous habit and considered what he was saying. He did have a point. She also knew that if she didn't go with him, she still be left wondering what the symbol on her hand meant. She had a chance standing right before her to get answers to her questions, especially about the one about why her parents told her that ' _her destiny was a great one_ '. He could give her those answers.

She looked at his hand again and made her decision. She put her hand in his and he helped to lift her up from the ground and into a standing position. It was then that she felt the soreness in her leg muscles. ' _Looks like the adrenaline wore off… Oh well, at least my head stopped spinning._ ' She felt him let go of her hand once she had gained good footing and then she watched as he turned around slightly to grab a harp that she didn't realize he had before.

Sheik had to smirk at her amazed reaction at seeing the harp he was holding. He quickly wiped it off of his face though for he needed to focus on the notes he needed to play for the warp song he had learned: the Nocturne of Shadow. This song would take him right to the graveyard next to Kakariko Village. He could only hope that he would be able to find a way to sneak her into the village and to where his aunt was without letting people know she was there. His village wasn't exactly kind to outsiders. ' _Or to me…_ '

Lin watched as he closed his eye and began playing a tune on the small harp. It sounded dark and foreboding to her and yet, somehow it sounded like she had heard it somewhere before, but she couldn't quite remember where. Soon after he finished it though, she saw dark purple lights appear out of nowhere and began to fly around her and the man standing next to her.

She wasn't sure what was happening so she closed her eyes in fear. When she opened them next, she knew she wasn't in the forest anymore…

~~

Impa studied the rows of graves as she searched for the set of stones she frequented during her many visits here. She walked deeper into the graveyard that was connected to the village. As she was walking there were a few graves she had passed that looked relatively new, but where she was headed was much further back. Not so far back to where the first Sheikah and early members of the Royal Family were buried, but it was a little ways before that area.

When she found the gravestones she was looking for she stopped before them and kneeled. She gazed at them with longing and felt a twinge of sadness at seeing the names that were etched on the hard stones. Buried below her were four of her closest family members: her brother and his wife and her husband and child.

Not very much people knew of her closeness with this particular set of graves, but for those who did, they did their best to give her enough distance when she arrived there to see them. They didn't want to intrude on her silent mourning. It was one that thing that Impa knew the most about and it was sadness. Her life wasn't all sunshine and roses like some of the people in this village believed.

She lost her parents back during the time that the village was attacked by the spirit of the evil Bongo Bongo. It was their deaths that motivated her to find a way to stop the wretched being and seal him away for good. She was upset at their deaths, but fortunately, as well as unfortunately, she wasn't alone in this mourning. Her brother shared her depression over what had happened. It took some time for them to move on past the overwhelming sadness and when that time came for the both of them, they began to move forward with their lives. She became cheiftess of the tribe due to her success at stopping the spirit and her brother found a lovely young woman who lived in the tribe and after courting her for some time, he married her.

Impa felt a smile form on her face. She remembered seeing how happy he was when he met the woman that was to become his future wife. She was glad to see that he had found someone that made him feel that way. But along with delight at seeing her brother gain that happiness, she felt jealous. She, too, wanted someone to look at her the same way that her brother looked at the woman he was with. At first she tried to deny that she was experiencing that emotion, but after some time she had come to terms with it.

Impa wanted to fall in love and have someone feel that way towards her in return.

Of course with her as the Cheiftess though, that made it quite difficult to find potential suitors. A vast majority of them only wanted to court her due to her position in the village. They didn't want to know the true her only the face that she had to put on when addressing the crowds of Sheikah. As time went on, she felt her desire to find someone begin to wane. She didn't want to keep putting herself out there, if no one wanted to reciprocate.

Then she met him.

He was different from all the other men who came up to her trying to woo her in various different ways. He actually wanted to get to know the real her, not the mask. At first she refused his advances since she had been hurt before with everyone else only pretending to want to know her. But slowly he began to work down her walls and after a while of trying, he managed to get to the true her.

Once he began to court her officially, it was only a matter of time before she fell for him and he for her. It seemed that everything was falling into place for her and that the world was beautiful. That feeling only grew when he asked for her hand in marriage. Without hesitation, she accepted his proposal.

They were only married a few months when she learned that she was with child. Both of them were joyous about the news and began preparing for the new arrival. But as with all good things, it had to come to an end. 

Her husband went on a journey to gather more supplies for the village in the forest that surrounded them. It was only supposed to a short trip; only a few days tops, but it took a lot longer than was planned. She sent some of the warriors of the village into the forest to try and figure out where he and his party were. But before the warriors were able to set out, she saw that her husband's group had returned, but it was without her husband.

After her initial confusion to where he was passed, a member of the group regretfully informed her that her husband had been killed by a creature that lay deep within the forest. To say that she was upset was an understatement. She had to put on a brave face for the crowd before her when the news was brought forth, but once she crossed the threshold into their home, she fell apart. In the months after his death, Impa tried to focus on the knowledge that although he was gone, she still had a piece of him in their child. But when it came time for the child to come into the world, her sadness only grew tenfold.

The child was stillborn.

In the days before and after her child's burial, Impa remembered drowning even more in her depression. For her she could see no light at the end of the tunnel and those thoughts she kept having started to enter into her professional life and she briefly considered relinquishing the position as Cheiftess. Then a small ray of light appeared in a place she never expected it would. Her brother and his wife discovered that they were going to be parents.

When she heard the news, she had to admit that she felt jealous that her brother was getting a happier life than she was and had everything she wanted, but when she held that baby in her arms after it was born, all of those emotions went away. She wanted to do nothing but protect it from the evils of the world and have it live a happy and fulfilling life. A life that her child didn't get a chance to have.

That life started out well enough. The baby, a boy, grew up healthy and acted as normal as any other boy would. She became protective of the child and tried the best to be the best aunt that she could be to him. Then one day, something changed that threatened the happiness the boy had.

At first it was strange little things like during his training with shadow magic, he was able to easily see through illusions that his father would put up. Normally it would take quite a while of training for any Sheikah to gain the ability to see through illusions and even then it took up a lot of energy to stretch out one's senses to find them. But for the boy it was effortless. At first he was considered to be a prodigy in the shadow arts and as such he had many fans and people who admired him for his strength. That all changed though when the next thing the boy did made them all realize that he wasn't just exceptionally gifted, but in a way his abilities soon became his curse.

She found him one day after his father had trained him for a short time before he had to leave to go do his regular duties. She heard him talking to himself and believed that he was playing pretend as most children did around his age. Once she got up to him though, she found that he was staring straight ahead at something he couldn't see and was talking to the air as if a person was there. She used her senses to see if perhaps it was a Sheikah who was using an illusion ability to speak to him, but she found nothing.

She became alarmed after realizing this and that feeling only grew when her nephew turned to look at her. Once he saw her, he smiled as if he was glad to see her and the words he said next sent a chill down her spine. “Auntie, I see Uncle.”

She froze in shock. She had never told him about her being married. Nor had she mentioned anything about her child. There was no reason to. Perhaps when he was older she would reveal to him that he could've had a cousin to play with, but even then she knew for a fact that no one, not even his parents, had spoken to him of that. But then how…

It took her a few moments to find her voice. When she finally did manage to regain it she asked him what he meant. His answer frightened her even more than his last statement did. He explained to her that he could see his uncle, her husband, sitting before him. He was asking how she was doing and he wanted Sheik to tell her that he still cared for her even though he was gone and that their daughter was doing fine.

To say she was surprised by what he told her was an understatement. She knew what he told him to be fact and had no doubt that he did in fact see her late husband. The question remained though as to how.

It took some time for figure out what was going on with her beloved nephew, but when they found out the answer, they were delighted to find out that Sheik was the destined Guardian of Shadows that the tribe had been waiting for ever since the Sages had told them that it would be one of their kind. However, she grimaced, what came after the reveal of who he was, made her regret ever figuring it out.

Due to the knowledge of Bongo Bongo that became more widely known after the drought, a lot of people noticed that the ability that Sheik had was also the same one that the spirit also possessed. This in turn made a lot of people believe that Sheik would more than likely go down the same dark path that the former Sheikah did. But instead of keeping an eye out and trying to make sure that the young lad didn't tread down that road, they decided to treat him as an outsider. Friends that Sheik used to have could no longer play with him, any fans he had before that praised him as being a prodigy instead deemed him a monster and shunned him, and what was the worst of them all was that there were even a few people that attempted to murder the young boy in various different ways and even at one point attempted to remove the eye that the ability was in.

After yet another attempt on his life took place, Impa then used her position as the Cheiftess of the village to put a law in place that prevented anyone from hurting her nephew. She told the people that even though the two people shared the same power, that did not mean that they were in fact the same kind of person. She also brought up the fact that the Sages themselves had said that the Guardian of Shadows needed this power to help guide the Hero on his journey and to kill him or remove his ability from him would only prevent their plan from coming to fruition. Anyone who attempted continued to try and harm him physically would be punished.

This action did help quell the people of the village to stop trying to harm him physically, but it didn't stop the words that were spoken behind his back. She, her brother and his mother tried to shield him from them as much as they could, but they couldn't keep everything from reaching his ears. The animosity towards him got so bad that no one was willing to train him to become a Sheikah warrior even though everyone knew full well that he needed this knowledge for his later journey. His father took up the mantle instead.

Sadly though this didn't last very long.

A deadly sickness spread throughout the village and many of its' inhabitants died due to it. Two of its victims were Sheik's parents. Although she, or her nephew, wasn't allowed to see them much due to them being quarantined to prevent the spread of the disease, she was told by her brother that if they didn't make it to take over Sheik's training and to protect him as much as she could until the time for his journey came.

They stayed sick for a few months before they finally succumbed to it. She remembered seeing their bodies being burned at the funeral. The disease was so rampant they couldn't risk having it spread to others. After the burning was over their ashes were then buried were they were now.

Impa placed a hand lovingly onto her brother's gravestone. She missed him. Yes, she deeply missed her husband, child and her brother's wife, but what made her sadness for his death different from theirs was that he was someone grown up with from a very young age and as such they knew everything about each other. They accepted each other without judgment and knew each other's quirks. They also had each other's backs in their times of need.

Her mouth formed into a smile. She could even see some of that in his son. Sheik was fiercely loyal to those who had earned his trust and deeply cared about others just as his father did. Her smile turned into a frown. However though, any other traits that he shared with his parents he refused to show. If it was one thing that she failed at it, it was being able to fully protect her nephew. Sure, she was able to prevent him from being killed by his peers, but with how everyone was treating him by pushing him away and saying horrible things to him, it slowly began to make him close himself off to the world and from her. He rarely smiled or showed excitement towards things and all he was focused on was either training, reading up on the history and legends of Hyrule or playing his harp. He didn't have any friends or people that he could fully trust with his feelings or thoughts and even though he knew she cared about him, he didn't really open himself up to her much. She knew he trusted her though as he wasn't constantly watching his back whenever the two were alone.

His standoffish personality also extended to his attire. He wore his armor nearly all the time and was strict about covering his face, especially that of his eye; the one that bore the mark that ultimately brought about the village's hatred towards him. She believed that this was another way he thought he could use to protect himself from people's eyes and to hide away his shame at bearing something that he referred to as a 'curse'.

She clenched the hand that sat against her leg in anger. He didn't deserve to any of the village's animosity towards him. He had not done anything to anyone to rightfully earn that scorn. He instead was a victim of fear. A fear that people held towards something that they didn't fully understand. There were many times she knew that she found herself wanting to speak her mind against the Elders and the other Sheikah about what they were doing to him was wrong. However she knew that if she were to do that, she would lose her position and that in turn would put Sheik's life in danger since she knew that whoever arose to take the position would get rid of him at first chance. And there was no possibility that if something were to happen to her that Sheik would be able to take her place. The Elders or other Sheikah wouldn't allow it.

But it wasn't just that that prevented her from doing it. Sheik himself had expressed that she didn't need to speak to them like that. Even though they had hurt him by their actions, he still didn't blame them. She felt herself smiling softly at the thought. He definitely was her brother's child.

In the corner of her eye, she saw swirling purple lights. She turned her head in the direction the lights were located to see the lights circle above a platform that stood before the Shadow Temple and behind a large fence that separated the graveyard from the sacred place.

She moved to stand up and went to walk closer to where the lights had now dissipated. It seemed that Sheik had finally returned with the Hero.

~~

When Lin felt a short breeze brush across her face, she figured it was safe to open her eyes again. Once she did though, her eyes widened when she noticed that the scenery around them had changed. No longer were they in the forest that she was familiar with. Instead she could see that they were standing next to a small cliff that was blocked off by a fence that was to her right and his left. And to her left was a large cave-like structure that had some stairs that looked like it headed down deep into the ground. Below their feet was a strange stone platform that bore a strange, yet familiar symbol on it. Where had she seen it before?

She continued to examine the area they were standing in until she heard the man across from her clear his throat. Lin looked back over at him and saw that he had already put his harp back in the harness for it on his back and was looking at her. A few more moments passed before she saw him nod his head towards the fence. She was briefly confused until she saw him walk over to said object and began climbing over it. So he wanted her to go over it?

She walked over to the wooden barrier and grimaced as she saw a steep drop directly on the other side. She gulped. She'd end up breaking a leg if she fell that far. Lin turned her head to the Sheikah and saw that he had reached the top of the fence. With no sign of hesitation, she watched as he leapt from the barrier and landed nimbly onto the ground below and rolled forward to help prevent his legs from getting hurt from the sudden force of the ground hitting his feet. Her eyes widened. He was good.

Once he stood up, he turned around to look at her and it was then that she realized that he was expecting her to do the same thing. She gulped again. No way was she going to break her leg…

He seemed to sense her hesitation and went to walk in front of where she would land if she jumped like he did. “I'll catch you.”

She debated a few more moments before ultimately deciding to go for it. He had saved her life earlier, surely he wouldn't just let her break a bone after doing that for her. Lin took her bow and slipped her upper body through the string and wooden part of it to make sure it wouldn't break or fall during her jump. Once that was secure, she gripped the wooden fence with her hands and put a food into an indentation to begin pulling herself up the object. When she reached the top of it she took a moment to quell her stomach at the view before her. Heights was never her forte…

Taking one deep breath, she quickly moved to leap off of the barrier before her mind could decide to climb back down. The moving air hit her face and blew her hair back as she began her descent to the ground. But before her feet could hit the ground, she felt a pair of arms grab her around her waist and help ease her landing. She flushed briefly as she knew who's arms those were, but instead of dwelling on it she instead pulled herself away from his grip. “Thanks.”

“Your welcome.” Sheik watched as the woman went to look at the graveyard that spread out before them. He didn't want to rush her as he knew that this was entirely new for her, but they needed to get to his aunt's home as quickly as they could. They couldn't afford to run into one of the villagers. It would cause more trouble than it was worth.

As he began thinking over in his mind how he was going to sneak her into the village, his eye caught someone walking over towards them. At first he inwardly cursed, thinking that it was one of the villagers he had meant to avoid. Luckily though that wasn't the case as the person who was headed their direction was the one that they needed to see. He briefly smiled underneath his scarf and bowed slightly to his aunt. Hopefully his aunt wouldn't be too upset for him bringing an outsider into the village, especially one that didn't exactly fit the description they were looking for. Hopefully she'd let him get a word in edgewise to explain. She did have a tendency to do that when she got mad. “Cheiftess Impa.”

Lin followed the direction the man was looking at to see an older woman walking towards them. Based on the fact that she, too, wore the symbol of the Sheikah on her clothes she knew she could rightfully assume that she was another one. And from what she heard her companion say, she was also apparently the leader of them. Oh boy… Was she in the village of the Sheikah?

She mentally debated for a moment or two whether or not she should follow his lead and bow as well, but before she could make that decision, she heard the woman speak. And from her tone of voice and her manner of speech, she seemed to know who the man was and apparently she was none too pleased with him.

“Sheik!” ' _Ah, so that's his name!_ ', Lin mused. “You were supposed to bring back the Hero, not a random stranger.”

Lin felt a little irritated at the woman's words about her, but she found herself being more interested in what she had said before. This man, Sheik, was sent to find the Hero? Did that mean that Hyrule was in danger again, like she had heard in all of her stories? Or to go even further, did he suspect her of being the Hero? They had already confirmed that she bore a piece of the Triforce, so it could've been a possibility, but even then, she still doubted it.

The woman, Impa was her name judging by what 'Sheik' called her, now stood before the two and was now giving her a look over. Lin felt slightly unnerved by her scrutinizing, but at the same time she couldn't exactly blame her. She had a feeling based on the woman's words alone, that she wasn't supposed to be here. And considering that these two people were Sheikah, which were the most secretive people known to Hyrule, and that their people had been considered extinct until she saw them, it would make sense for them to be less open to the idea of having outsiders in their village. She could only hope that they wouldn't kill her for coming here. It wasn't exactly her idea anyway.

Sheik noticed the small look of fear on the woman's face and realized that she had figured out based on his aunt's words that it was a big risk bringing her here. But he knew though once he voiced why he did to Impa, she would be more understanding. “Cheiftess Impa,” his aunt's eyes looked to him now, “the reason why she is here is because I believe that she may possibly be the Hero I was sent to search for.”

Impa's face immediately changed into a shocked one. Her gaze turned to look back at the woman. That couldn't be possible though! The Hero was supposed to be a man, not a woman! She returned her attention to her nephew. Although her initial reaction was to doubt his words, at the same time she knew her nephew wouldn't have come to this conclusion without some evidence. “What do you mean?”

Lin kept looking back and forth between the two as their conversation continued. At the woman's last question, she clenched her still uncovered left hand in nervousness. Looks like she would probably want to see this too. She began to move it up into the woman's view, but before she could get that far, she felt a hand grab her wrist gently. She nearly jumped a few feet off of the ground, but she quickly realized that it was Sheik's hand that was holding it. He moved her hand up to lay between the two Sheikah with the back of her hand parallel to the ground. Her birthmark was able to been seen perfectly.

Impa gasped aloud as she saw the birthmark that lay on the back of the woman's hand. It couldn't be-? She looked once more at the woman with shock. “How long have you had this?”

Impa saw the golden brunette haired woman look up at her slowly. She could tell she was nervous about the question. Nonetheless, she saw take a deep breath and her open her mouth to answer it. “I've had it since I was born. I was told by my parents to keep it a secret. They never really explained to me why I had it, just that I had a great destiny because of it.”

Lin saw Impa move her eyes back onto the symbol she bore on her hand. Her gaze then moved to the man next to her. She heard his deep voice began speaking to her as he let go of her wrist. “I found her in the forest. At first I didn't think anything of it until she used a Light Arrow against a creature that was attacking us.” She saw the Sheikah woman's eyes widen at the words 'light arrow'. “Once I found out she had the symbol of the Triforce on her hand I felt that its a possibility that she may be the one we're looking for. The evidence does point to it. However...” Lin watched as he turned his red gaze on her. “It may be a possibility that she possesses a different piece and not the one of Courage. A small one, but still one nonetheless.”

So his train of thought was the same as hers, she realized. She heard his voice again and watched as he looked at the Sheikah woman once more. “I thought that it would be a good idea to bring her here and see if you knew of an idea of what we could do to figure exactly which piece it is that she holds.”

Impa considered his words. His argument was sound for why he brought the woman here and from the evidence he spoke of, it was certain that she was a Triforce wielder. But as for which one, it was still a mystery. Power was out of the question, they both knew where that one lay, but as for Courage and Wisdom those were up in the air. Of course when it was determined which of the two she held, either one will still bring more questions. For Wisdom, it would be a question of why was a member of the Royal Family found living in the forest? And for Courage, why was the Hero a woman this time around when during the previous times of crisis for Hyrule it was a man?

Regardless of what answer they would receive, it was something that they all needed to know. She closed her eyes to think of what they could do to discern what the answer was. Many different ideas ran through her mind of what to do, but none of those were reliable enough to use and get a good positive result. One more idea came to her. Her eyes opened as she realized that this idea was a good one as it would be able to give a perfect result. She looked at the two people standing before her. “We could consult the fire. It was given to us by the Sages and I have feeling that this may be another reason why it was gifted to us.”

Though she wasn't entirely sure if the Hero being a female or a Royal Family member would be hidden away was something that was included in the Sages' plan, but at this point considering the situation that was standing before her, she wouldn't throw any possibility away just yet. She turned away from the two and began to walk towards the entrance of the graveyard. Before she could get too far though, she stopped and turned to her nephew. Regardless of the fact that the woman was here for a reason, they couldn't let anyone else see her though. It was too risky. “Sheik, I recommend you cloak her. You know how people are here towards outsiders.” She then turned to continue walking to the exit.

Lin watched as Impa headed towards the archway that stood before a path that she presumed led to the village of the Sheikah. She knew based on her words that she and Sheik were supposed to follow her, but what did she mean by him cloaking her? She looked over at her companion. He seemed to understand that she was a bit confused by the other Sheikah's words. “I need to use my shadow magic to make you invisible to the other villagers. That means that you need to be quiet until we reach the building that houses the fire she mentioned. Do you understand?”

She nodded as he moved into a position where she assumed he was focusing on forming a cloak around her. She was confused as to whether or not it was working until she felt a slight chill come over it. The chill wasn't so bad that she felt like she was freezing or anything, but it was enough for her to tell that the temperature had dropped around her at least a degree or two. Did that mean that his magic was working on her now?

Sheik relaxed now that he had used his shadow magic to cloak the woman. He knew that she was still next to her since he could sense her presence when he focused. He also knew that if he were to look in the direction she was standing with his left eye he would be able to see her perfectly. He supposed that was one perk about having his magical eye. It saved him from having to use some of his magic reserves.

Once he positive that she was completely hidden from sight, he motioned for her to follow behind him. “Stay as close to me as you can without bumping into me and remember to stay absolutely quiet!”

Lin watched as Sheik began walking forward, following the same direction that Impa had gone. She hesitated for a moment to follow, but once she remembered that at the end of this path, she would finally have her answers. She would finally understand why she bore this symbol and what her ' _great destiny_ ' was. Although she was excited to finally have a chance to gain those answers that she had been desperately seeking, she was also terrified to find out what those answers were. She could feel her stomach begin to feel queasy at the fear of what would come next. But before that feeling could grow anymore, she pushed it aside and began following after Sheik. Regardless of what she would find at this 'fire' that they mentioned, it would still be better than her going back to continue to wonder where her life was supposed to go.

The two began down the winding path that lead away from the graveyard. Lin followed as close as she possibly could to Sheik without running into him. As she continued to follow him, it suddenly occurred to her that she was about to see the legendary village of the Sheikah that she had read about in her stories. She had to bite her lip to prevent her from shrieking in excitement. Lin also brought her hands together and held her fingers where her mouth was to help prevent her, and serve as a physical reminder, from making a noise as they drew closer to the entrance to the village.

Once they passed under the archway that symbolized them leaving the graveyard fully, it took Lin everything she had to not gasp in amazement. Her eyes widened in excitement as they caught sight of the various buildings that were scattered throughout the small settlement, she could see other Sheikah running around doing errands, training, kids playing with other children. Her eyes then trailed to the windmill that was standing in the distance. It looked just like the pictures depicted in her book.

Her and Sheik continued their trek into the village, her having to pry her eyes away from the amazing things she kept seeing around her and force herself to pay attention lest she get them caught. They passed through a small marketplace where she could see stands of people selling fruit, vegetables and other various things that kind of reminded her of home. There was even a musician that was playing on a strange instrument for young children. The tune that came out of the horn that was spinning above his head sounded familiar (like other things she had been seeing and hearing the past few days) and it made her think of the storms that would rumble through Hyrule.

She was so focused on the musician that when she turned her head to look back at Sheik, she nearly collided with him! Luckily she was able to stop herself before that happened. She was confused as to why he stopped though. Was something going on in front of them? She stepped to the side and looked over his shoulder to see the Sheikah woman they were talking to earlier, Impa, standing before a small group of elderly people. She had no idea who they were, but from the tone Impa was talking with towards them, she obviously knew who they were and they seemed to be people of high regard considering that she was using the term 'elder' quite often.

After studying them a little bit longer, she chanced a glance over at Sheik to see that instead of his usual blank stare that she had seen on his face (at least during the little bit that she knew him), she noticed that red eye he had visible was arched down into glare. She looked back towards the elder people. Did he not get along with them? The idea made her curious, but at the same time she knew that she didn't need to pry into people's lives. Especially people that she barely knew and would probably never see again.

She heard Sheik sigh and began walking forward at a slow pace. She followed quietly, being careful to stay behind him and not get too close. Slowly but surely they grew closer to where Impa and the older Sheikah were. Once they arrived near Impa's location, Lin could see a door to their left that led into tall building. Sheik stopped by the door and placed his left hand on the knob. Before he was about to open it though, she heard one of the elders call to him.

“Sheik! What are you doing here? We're you supposed to have left to begin your duty are or are you shirking that?”

She heard the other elders chuckle at the statement that was made and Lin didn't need to look at Sheik's face to know how he was feeling towards it. She saw him go still and the hand he had on the doorknob was clenched. He radiated anger. Although Lin didn't know him for that long, she could sympathize with him being upset. Even if he did tend to shirk his duties like the elder who spoke implied, he still didn't deserve to be made fun of. Called out, yes, if it was in fact what he was doing, but not made a public spectacle. Although she knew they couldn't see her, she sent a glare in their direction.

Suddenly she felt a slight bit warmer than normal. Was the cloaking wearing off? But how-? She turned to Sheik. Was he not focused on it anymore due to his irritation at their words. She panicked at the thought of being seen by all these people. She got closer to Sheik and whispered to him. “Sheik, I think its wearing off...”

She heard him gasp suddenly as if he realized what she meant and only a few seconds later she felt the coolness cover her again. Lin also noticed that he was no longer as tense as he was before and he wasn't clenching the doorknob. Did his emotions cause the magic to weaken? She didn't have time to ponder it for long, because Sheik turned the doorknob and opened the door. He stood there for a few moments to allow her time to slip in front of him and once the two were both inside and the door closed, Lin felt the chill pull away from her and warmth came to her.

Sheik leaned against the door they just entered and breathed out a breath he had been holding after his short display of emotion. That was too close. If the woman hadn't spoken to him then, the invisibility would have worn off and she would be seen by the entire village. That led to his next thought though: how did she know his name?

“How did you know my name?” The woman turned to look at him suddenly. Apparently she was too engrossed into looking around the building they were in. He pulled himself off of the door and walked to stand across from her as she started to answer his question. “Oh, um, I heard the other Sheikah woman say it. So I assumed that was your name. Is it?”

He nodded to affirm her question. He remembered that his aunt did in fact say his name during their conversation earlier. Well, so much for first introductions. “Yours?”

She pointed one of her fingers towards herself as if to ask if he was asking for her name. He inclined his head again. “Oh, my name is Lin.”

“Lin?” He saw her nod her head at him to confirm her name. He saw her begin to open her mouth to say something, but before she got a chance, he heard the door open behind them and he turned his head to see his aunt closing the door behind her with a look of irritation evident on her face. Knowing that look, she probably said some choice words to the Elders for their comment they made to him a few moments ago. Although he appreciated the effort, he knew it wouldn't completely stop them though. He would just have to learn to deal with like he always has.

Impa stepped away from the door and saw her nephew and the woman standing across from one another looking back at her. She could tell by looking at Sheik that he was still a bit hurt by the Elders' words and she wanted to apologize to him for it, but seeing as the woman was here now, it would probably be best to wait until they were alone next. Now though, it was time to get down to business.

“The fire is this way.” She said more so to the woman than Sheik, since she knew that he knew where it was. She walked between the two of them and to the double doors that lay straight ahead. She opened the left one and held it open for the two as they walked through it. She could sense a little apprehension coming from the woman (which she couldn't blame her for, this was a new place and she barely knew any of them), but she was able to push it way and continued on into the room.

Once they were all inside, Impa closed the door behind them and walked towards the fire which was burning a dull orange color. She directed the two to sit on the cushions before the fire and she walked on to stand on the other side. When she got there, she heard her nephew speak. “How are going to use the fire to figure out who she is?”

She looked at the two and could tell that woman was wondering the same thing. Impa reached to grab a knife she had strapped to her right leg and pulled it out of its sheath. She decided to be blunt. “We need to put her blood in the fire.”

“Wait, _my what_?” Impa saw the look of panic flare up on the woman's face and while she could understand why she felt that way, she also knew that it was only way to get a positive result. She nodded at the woman and explain. “It's not a lot of blood. I just need to cut your hand, the one that bares the mark to be exact, and drip it into the fire. From there it will take a few moments for it to react. Whatever piece you possess, it will glow that respective color: green for Courage, blue for Wisdom and red for Power. Although Power we know is locked away in the Sacred Realm so that's not a liable option.”

She could see a bit of panic go away from the woman's face but there was still some left. She looked to Sheik briefly and then back to the woman. “Sheik will use a red potion on your cut so it will instantly heal it. You don't have to worry about that. Although I will admit that as I'm making the cut it will hurt, but I promise that it will be brief.”

Impa could see the debate the woman was having etched on her face. She was patient with her. She didn't want to force her to make a choice. Soon she could see the debate over and that the woman had made a decision for she held her left hand out towards her, eager to get this over with. Impa gently held her hand and begin using her knife to make a small, shallow cut. She heard her hiss in pain as the knife began to cut through her skin, but as quickly as it started it was over. She had gotten the blood that she needed.

She stood up slowly and carefully and walked around to the opposite side of the fire. She didn't need to turn around to see her nephew grab a red potion off of a shelf behind him and begin to use it on the woman's hand. Once she reached where she needed to be, she held her blade over the fire and began to hit it enough to make a few drops of blood fall from it.

Impa pulled the knife back and waited with bated breath for the fire to react and give them the answer they desired. It was only a few moments before the fire gave any results, but to Impa, her nephew, and Lin it took forever. Then the flame grew low until suddenly it flared to life changing into a different color other than its usual dull orange.

Green. The flame was green.

The Hero had been found.


	7. Chapter 6 - More Questions Than Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a history lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also posted on my devART, FF.net and Tumblr (links in profile)
> 
> ~~
> 
> A little warning for those who wish for the two to quickly run off into the dungeons and start doing what they are supposed to do, that's not gonna happen just yet. The next chapter kinda, sorta acts as a filler of sorts and helps tie up some things before the two actually leave to go on their quest. The chapter after that though starts back up the plot line and has them actually leaving.
> 
> I know this story seems like its moving slowly, (Trust me, I'm as eager as you guys to get to the dungeon part…) but I don't want to rush it and make it seem like I missed some things, especially since these first chapters contains stuff that will come into play in later chapters. So keep your eyes peeled!
> 
> Enjoy!

~~

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**

Flames of Change

_Chapter 6: More Questions Than Answers_

By: knowlee

~~

Lin ran her finger over the small scar the cut had made after it was healed with that red potion. She was still a little confused as to how it did that, but overall that wasn't the biggest thing that was on her mind.

She was the Hero.

She groaned at the revelation. She should be excited that she _finally_ got her answer after all these years of wondering what her 'destiny' was, but now that she knew, it left her even more confused. Why was she the Hero? Wasn't he supposed to be a guy?

Sighing loudly, she looked over at the pair of doors that led to the room she was in a few moments ago, before the two Sheikah shooed her out of there to talk. Lin wondered if that was one of the subjects they were discussing in there. She briefly chuckled at the thought. She wouldn't be surprised. Based on both of their reactions including the one that Sheik had earlier when he first saw her mark, neither one of them were expecting that result. At the same time though, neither was she.

She leaned back in the chair that she was sitting in. Sure, she had fancied the idea of being the Hero when she was younger, but it was only that, a fantasy! Not reality. And yet here she was, confirmed to be a new incarnation of the Hero of Legend and instead of being elated, she was utterly terrified. And why wouldn't she be? She had read the stories of all of the previous Heroes and knew what was going to come next for her. And honestly she wasn't looking forward to it at all. Not one bit.

Lin drew her legs up into the chair and wrapped her arms around them to hold against her chest while sighing again. Hyrule was going to be screwed with her as their Hero. Or she supposed in this case it would be Heroine. She laid her head on her knees in irritation.

~~

Sheik was pacing back and forth near the fire, mulling over what they had just confirmed about the woman in the room next to them. So his theory was correct, she was the Hero. ...But why? This question kept floating about in his head just begging to be answered, but he had nothing he could go on to answer it. He groaned aloud while rubbing his head in irritation. “Well, this is certainly a turn of events.”

Impa nodded in agreement as she sat on the ground lost in thought. This definitely wasn't something she was expecting. Her memories of everything she remembered being taught about preparing for the arrival of the Hero, but no where in her memory did she recall it saying that the Hero would be a woman this time around. Perhaps it was something the Sages didn't want to speak of? If so, then why? Why would it need be kept a secret? Why not tell them? They were the Sheikah and as such could be trusted with such vital information. Even then though, not a single thing was told to them about this twist in the tale. Maybe the Sages didn't want to risk any sort of information getting out so they kept it a secret from everyone, even them?

She sighed. If that were the case then that would mean that they would be the only ones who would know about why the Hero was now a Heroine. That would be something that they would have to be asked about. Surely they would know the answer.

Unfortunately though, they were no where to be found. At least not currently anyway…

Impa turned her attention back to her nephew who was now sitting on the ground across from her. He looked to still be processing the new information and was probably coming to the same conclusion she was. “The only ones who could possibly know of why this has happened would be the Sages. But you and I both know the status they are currently in.”

She heard him groan loudly. “So this just makes it all the more important that we find the items and awaken them then...”

Impa grunted in affirmation. That it did. She wasn't sure what it was that made the Sages do the things they did, but, at this point they had no choice but to trust their judgment and do their part.

“Does this change anything about the journey? Or is it still the same?”

She shook her head at her nephew's question. “No, it doesn't change anything. The mission remains the same. However though,” A few thoughts came to her mind about the woman in the next room. She knew, being a woman herself, that there would be things that would happen that might, in a lack of a better term, complicate things a little bit on the journey, but it wasn't something that couldn't be worked around. “certain things will be different. Not so much that it would jeopardize the mission, but enough that it will take some time to get used to and to work around. All I can say is be patient with her. Not only in those aspects but also in the ones that pertain to her destiny. Based on her reaction earlier, I'm certain that she is still processing this and  that it will take a while for her to fully accept it.”

Impa moved rise from the floor, but didn't break her eye contact with Sheik. “Don't forget that you did the same when you realized your destiny.” She watched as he nodded once and followed her lead by standing up too. She heard him sigh then speak. “I suppose I need to gather the gifts that we had made. I'll need to present them to her properly.”

She saw him turn and move to gather the sword and shield that had been sat up against the wall. As she watched him lift them off of the ground, a fleeting thought came to her mind about something else that the Hero might need on their journey, especially since it was a skill that Sheik needed to train her in. She turned to the bookshelf behind her. Her eyes roamed over the books until she found the one she needed. She pulled it from the shelf and turned back to her nephew who was how holding the gifts as if they could break at any moment. She held the book out to him. “Here, this will help you during her training in magic.” He grabbed it with his free hand and studied the cover. “It contains some information regarding certain spells that I'm sure will come in handy during your journey.”

Sheik briefly glanced at his aunt when she spoke and looked back down at the book. On its cover it bore the tribe's symbol that was stitched into it with tan thread and for its eye it glowed a dull, yet still bright, blue. He was curious as to how it was doing that, but he supposed that there was some type of spell or device on it that allowed for this to appear this way. After studying it for a few more moments, he tucked the book away into his small satchel attached to his belt and moved to bow to his aunt before heading to the door.

But before he could open the doors, he heard his aunt call out to him softly. “Sheik?” He turned around to see what it was that she wanted. He saw a sad look form on her face as she breathed deeply. She spoke again. “I'm sorry for what the Elders said to you back there. They had no right to do so.”

He was glad to hear that his aunt disagreed with their words, but she shouldn't be the one to apologize for them. The Elders should. He inwardly laughed though. The likelihood of that ever happening though was slim to none. He still appreciated his aunt's words though. “Thank you, but, you don't have to apologize.”

He saw his aunt's mouth open to say something else, but he quickly opened one of the doors behind him and exited. Even though he knew his aunt was only trying to make him feel better, he still didn't like to be pitied.

~~

Lin pulled herself out of her position when the sound of one of the doors closing came to her ears. She looked up to see Sheik standing before them, holding what appeared to be a sword and shield in his arms. She was momentarily confused by why he was holding them until the thought came to her that those were probably his.

She heard him take a deep breath and turned to look at her. She watched as he threw a glance at the symbol on her left hand and then looked back up at her face.  “It's a lot to take in, I suppose.” 

She looked away from him and nodded slightly at his words. “Yeah, it's not everyday that you figure out that you're supposed to Hyrule's savior.” Lin chuckled softly at what she said. Although it was funny how this happened, at the same she could feel the terror she was feeling towards the idea. There was no way she could do this.

“Here. These are yours.”

Lin looked back in Sheik's direction to find him kneeling on the ground only a few steps away from her vicinity, holding the sword and shield out towards her. She was surprised by this action. These items were hers? Tentatively she reached out with her hands to grab said items, giving him a quick glance to make sure he wasn't going to stop her while doing so. Once they were within her grasp, she felt him release the objects only to have her nearly drop them due to their weight. Luckily though, she was able to catch herself in time and brought them closer to her.

With them now closer to her, she was able to see the finer details each weapon possessed. The shield was round and had what looked to her like iron that had been molded around the edges. The inner part appeared to be wooden in nature, but it was a type of metal that had been painted to look bronze. And on that area, some white paint had been done over it to look decorative in nature. And in the direct center of the shield, a small blue emblem was molded into it. The emblem had inside of it the red eye of the Sheikah.

The sword bore an iron pommel and crossguard, similar to the iron that surrounded the edge of the shield. The grip had been painted bronze to match its counterpart. And although she had not removed the sword from its scabbard, she was sure to find that the sword would be silver in color. She wouldn't be for sure though until she removed it.

Sheik could see her studying the weapons in her hands and could tell that she was still reeling from the news. He, too, was still trying to wrap his mind around it. But he knew that he couldn't afford to linger on it for too much longer. There would be time to figure out why things were this way when they found the Sages. Surely they could give them an answer. For now though, he needed to perform his duty and guide the Hero, or Heroine in this case, and train her in what she needed to know. He cleared his throat to pull her attention away from the two items in her hands. She looked at him. “The sword and shield you have within your possession was crafted by our best blacksmiths as a gift for you to use in your journey. It also to show that you have the Sheikah on your side if the time comes that you need them to help you.” He saw her expression change to that of a mixture of awe and slight fear. He was momentarily confused by the fear she was expressing, but he realized that it may have been directed at the fact that she was wary about going on a journey. For that he couldn't blame her.

He decided then to help alleviate some of her fears by explaining who he was. “Although you already know my name from hearing it earlier, I still need to properly introduce myself and explain who I am.” She still continued to watch him with her full attention. He bowed slightly to her as he spoke. “I am Sheik. I was chosen by fate to be the Guardian of Shadows. The Guardian of Shadows is to be the guide and protector of the chosen Hero and to help train them in various different forms of self-defense and to guide them throughout their journey.” He lifted his head back to up to look up at her to see her eyes wide at the announcement he made. “I cannot claim to know exactly everything that is going to happen during the journey, but I can promise that I will ensure that you will see it to the end.”

~~

When Lin opened her eyes next, she found herself back in the familiar environment of the forest. She sighed in relief. It wasn't because that she didn't find the village of the Sheikah interesting, it was more that this was home to her and after all that she found out moments ago, it felt nice to be back in a place that felt comforting.

She turned to look at Sheik who was standing next to her, putting away his harp. She could see the sword and shield strapped to his back and she had to laugh at the sight. He raised an eyebrow at her. After trying to stifle her giggles for a few seconds, she finally managed to quiet them. “Sorry, it's just that those weapons don't look like they really suit you. Heck, I don't even know if they would suit me either even though they are supposed to be mine!”

He nodded at her response. She was a little confused as to why he didn't say anything back to her, but during the little time she had interacted with him, she got the impression that he only spoke when he felt it was important and tended to keep to himself. She inwardly smiled. Hopefully that would change though. Especially considering that they were now going to be traveling together until this journey was over with. It would get kind of boring traveling with someone who refused to talk to her. Maybe, just maybe they could become good friends when it was all said and done. They would have to see.

Sheik had to admit that her comment about the sword and shield he was carrying for her was amusing, but he didn't want to show her that he thought so. He had been hurt by too many people during his lifetime and he didn't wish to be hurt by another. Even though he knew that her character was supposed to be noble and caring due to her position as the new Hero, he still didn't want to risk it. 

Turning his thoughts away from that, Sheik knew that she needed to get back to her village. Surely there were people that were worried about her well-being considering she was being chased down by a metallic creature before they left. “I'll continue to carry your weapons for you until you get back to your home. I figure its best to keep the knowledge of who you really are between us and my aunt for the time being.” He sighed. “Although we're not sure why no one knew of the Hero's new identity, we believe that the Sages kept it a secret for a reason. A reason that didn't give and probably won't until we ask them.”

She nodded at his statement. “It makes sense. But the lack of answers about only makes me even more curious as to why.” Sheik had to agree. He shared that curiosity. He heard her speak again. “You know you didn't really explain to me what my journey is supposed to be about. I have a general idea of what it may be based on the stories of the previous Heroes, but I'm not sure if I should use that as the basis for mine.”

It was a valid question she had. “I will explain everything once we arrive at your home. I don't want to have anyone accidentally overhear our conversation so it would be better to have it done within closed quarters.”

“Gotcha.” He saw her turn towards the direction her village lay. “Looks like we got a lot of walking to do...”

~~

When two of the hunters, Gully and Beth, came running to her saying that Lin had been driven off into the woods by a strange metal being, Navi began to worry immediately. She found herself thinking of the words Lin told her yesterday about a creature attacking her on her way home and wondered if the two were related. And if they were, that meant that the forest was far more dangerous than they already knew it was.

After she received the news, she had the two hunters go and calm themselves down while she immediately called the rest of the hunters that were available and weren't off hunting to go to the area of the forest where Lin's team was at and begin their search. And if they found the other hunters during that time to have them end their hunting journey and stick together. If she hadn't been found by nightfall, she reluctantly ordered them to return back home and resume the search in the morning.

Navi took a deep breath as she ran her right hand through her hair. She really hoped Lin was alright. Although she knew the woman could easily take care of herself in dire circumstances (it was also one of the reasons why she was promoted to become the leader of the hunters), she knew that just like everyone else, she had her limitations. Navi prayed that she wouldn't reach them with this creature and lose her life in the process.

She cared about Lin a lot and felt protective of her to the point where she felt that Lin was like her little sister and she the big one. And it was this protectiveness that made Navi feel helpless when it came to this situation. She wanted desperately to go out and find her herself, but she couldn't leave the village. It was too much of a risk. If they lost Lin, they couldn't afford to lose her either. She frowned. Hopefully they would find something. And she wanted that something for her to be found alive.

She saw the sun begin to set in the distance. She began to get nervous. Did they find her in time? Navi looked ahead to see the hunters slowly began to exit the forest and based on the looks they all wore on their faces, they didn't have good news. She sighed and began to fear the worst.

Navi quickly tried to hide that fear though for she saw Talo start to approach her. He wore a look that was similar to how she felt on the inside. Although she knew the man didn't much care for Lin and her leadership, (part of it was due to some long held prejudices that some of the older members of the village still held) he still tried to respect her due to her position and intellect on how to hunt properly. She hoped his lingering feelings of animosity towards her (and to a smaller extent, herself) would fade over time, but she had yet to see it though. Still he was showing progress.

“Did you find anything?” She hoped he would give her a good answer although her gut was telling her otherwise.

He shook his head. “No, Cheiftess. We didn't find a trace of her. The only thing we found was some metal pieces that we found scattered in one part of the forest where she had been chased to. But there was no sign of her anywhere.”

She sighed as a small twinge of relief came to her. At least they hadn't found a body. Perhaps she was still out there in the forest somewhere. She may trying to make her way back here. At least she hoped she was. “There wasn't any evidence of blood anywhere was there? Or any other sign that perhaps she had been wounded by the creature that chased her?” Once more Talo replied with a negative. At least that showed that if she was out there, she wasn't hurt. Unless… No, she wouldn't allow her thoughts to go there. Although she send a prayer to the Goddesses above that she had not befallen the same fate as her parents.

“Cheiftess Navi!”

Navi turned her head in the direction the voice came from to see one of the hunters, Mido, along with his youngest sister, Fado. By the frantic looks on their faces as well as the way they were running, they probably had heard of the news and were trying to get answers. She knew they were close to Lin, seeing as their family took her in to raise after her parents' untimely deaths. It took them a few moments to reach her, but when they did the questions began pouring out of their mouths.

“We just heard! Have you found her yet?” The woman, Fado, asked, fear evident in her blue eyes. With the way she kept tugging at her blonde hair, she could tell that she was nervous about what she was about to say. Navi sighed. “No, not yet. I think she may be still in the woods, probably trying to seek shelter for the night.” Navi looked around the village to see the blanket of darkness begin to cover the land around them. She _really_ hoped Lin was alright.

“I'm going to go in there and find her!” Navi's eyes widened and her sight quickly turned to look back at Mido who wore a look of fierce determination on his face. He started to trek towards the woods, his bow and quiver in hand, before Navi quickly grabbed his shoulder, making him stop. “You can't! It's far too dangerous to go into the woods at night!”

He turned to look back at her with a pleading look on his face. “With all due respect, Cheiftess, I can't just sit around and wait for her to show up! She needs to be found and brought back home!”

If it were any other situation that Mido spoke to her as such, she would fiercely reprimand him for his tone, but considering the circumstances, she could let it slide this time. They all were worried about her. “Look, Mido, trust me, I want to go out there just as much as you do and bring her home safely, but you know as well as I how dangerous the woods are. During the daytime its somewhat dangerous, but at nighttime it's even more so.” She paused at her next words. “Even though Lin is important to the tribe and I want her to be safe, I can't risk losing anymore hunters out there. Another search will start up first thing in the morning and if you want you can join that one.”

She could see that he was torn between listening to her or following what he wanted to do. She tried to speak one last statement to see if this would cause him to back off for the time being. “Look, we both know how Lin is. She's a resourceful young woman and knows these woods like the back of her hand. I'm sure she'll be alright.” Navi knew that not only was she trying to convince him of this, but she was trying to do it for herself too.

Navi watched Mido's shoulders fall in defeat as he made the decision to wait. She could see the regret he felt evident on his face. “I'll join the first search party in the morning.” Navi nodded and smiled. “I'll see you then.”

“Oh my goddesses! There she is!”

Navi's heart leapt in her chest as she heard the words one of the hunters who were currently waiting for orders cry out. She, Mido and Fado jerked their heads towards the forest to see who they were all so desperate to see begin walking out from the trees.

It was Lin. She was alive and well.

Navi was instantly relieved at seeing her second. But although she was relieved at the fact that she was alright, she still felt irritated at the fact that she had worried them all. Granted it wasn't all her fault, but she still felt annoyed that it had happened. She separated herself from the two siblings that were standing next to her, both showing relieved looks on their faces at seeing their lost friend, and began to make her way towards Lin. She could see that the woman was being bombarded by questions from the other hunters and a few villagers who heard the news of her disappearance and was getting overwhelmed by their pushing. She decided to help the woman.

“Hey! I understand that we all are glad to see that Lin is alive and well, but unfortunately we all need to be getting some rest in order to prepare for tomorrow. And as for those who are the nightwatchmen, I need you to take your posts and keep both eyes on the forest, since now we know that there are now more than just monsters wondering around in them.” The crowd then began to disperse, with everyone nodded their consent towards her and a few giving Lin a few last words of relief of her being returning safely. Once it had died down enough, Navi sighed and turned to face her second. Based on the look Lin was giving her, she knew that Navi wanted to get some information about _exactly_ what had happened out there.

~~

“A _what_ attacked you?”

Navi looked at the golden brunette-haired woman with what she was sure was an incredulous expression. The two were now in her home in order to hide away from prying eyes as she was questioning her about what went on after she was separated from her party.

Lin closed her eyes and exhaled at her words. She ran her fingernails over her forehead in thought. On her way back home with Sheik, the conversation she would inevitably have with Navi was one she was dreading. Especially considering that she _had_ hinted at one of those same creatures attacking her the other day when she was coming back from Oocca Town after the ceremony. Maybe she should have said something then and they could've perhaps done something to prevent them from going into the forest earlier today. But… she also knew in the back of her mind that regardless of what they did, the creature would've been encountered eventually, especially since she had a hunch that they were after her. Why though? She wasn't sure. But if that train of thought were correct, then it would've probably done some damage to the village had she not gone into the forest then. She was just glad that Gully and Beth weren't hurt by the creature in the process…

She looked back up at her leader. “It was a strange metallic creature. It was just like the one that attacked me yesterday when I was entering the forest. You know the one I mentioned that destroyed the bridge? The one that attacked me in the forest looked just like that one.” Lin decided it was best to just go ahead and tell her everything she knew. Maybe, just maybe with Navi in on it, especially with her connections being that she was the Cheiftess, she could figure out what that thing was and maybe even why it was coming after her.

Navi brought her left hand up to her chin in thought. Her eyes formed into a slight glare that she directed at her second. “You didn't tell me that the creature was metallic in nature.”

Lin blushed slightly in embarrassment under her scrutiny. “I didn't think it was important at the time. Plus I wasn't expecting another one to appear. I thought the one that attacked me yesterday was the only one. But after the events of today, obviously that's not the case.”

Navi removed her hand from her chin and nodded. She couldn't entirely blame her for not telling her out right what it was that attacked her. She probably would've done the same, if she were in her position. But since she wasn't, she needed to figure out what was going on. Why would these two metal-clad beings suddenly appear in their woods when they were never there before? She crossed her arms over her chest as she continued to contemplate. Another thing she was wondering was if they were targeting her second. From what she could tell on Lin's facial expressions as she was explaining earlier what had happened, she seemed to be wondering the same thing. But if that was the case, then who was doing that? There had to be a mastermind behind the things.

She looked to her right to see a map of Hyrule that had been posted on the wall across from where they were sitting at her table. Navi looked at the northwestern portion of the map to see Oocca labeled. That tribe was known all across Hyrule for their technological prowess. Perhaps their Cheiftain, Librari, could give her some answers or at least point her in a direction that they could look into. That looked to be the only option they had at this point. “I'll write to the Cheiftain of the Oocca tomorrow and have a few messengers take it to him. Hopefully he'll know something about it or at least give us a lead. If not, then I'm not sure what else to do other than write the Royal Family asking them to look into it. I don't want to resort to that, but if Librari doesn't know anything I'll have to.”

She stood up from the chair next to the table and began to walk over to her desk. Before she could make it there though, another thought passed through her head and she decided to voice it aloud. She turned back to Lin. “I think it's best that we suspend hunts for now until we get answers. I don't want to risk anyone else getting hurt.”

Lin's eyes widened at her announcement. She quickly stood up from her chair in shock. She couldn't do that! Although she understood why she came to that decision, in the end it would only hurt Kokiri more. “But Cheiftess Navi, we can't afford to hold off on hunts! We need to prepare for the winter! For everyday we hold off on it, we lose more time to gather the meat we need. Especially since some of the animals we are looking to get are about to go into hibernation for the upcoming season and I don't think any of us are willing to go searching in a blizzard for something to eat.”

She heard Navi sigh. Lin hoped that she hadn't said anything out of turn. “Look, I understand why you want to hold them off and if it were any other time of the year, it wouldn't be as bad. But with us this close to the new season, I personally think that it'll hurt us badly. And if it hurts us, then it hurts the rest of Hyrule as a whole.” Lin started to think of suggestions. “How about this: we continue the hunts, but instead of spreading us about like we had been doing and doing it all day, we designate it to only a certain time and make it as one large group that's spread it on one area? That way if more of those things are out there, we will have strength in numbers and with the time limit it will lessen our chances of encountering one. It will also let us bring in some meat, maybe not as much as we normally do, but that's still better than nothing.”

Lin went quiet and waited for Navi to give her answer. Although she knew that she didn't like the idea of holding off the hunts, ultimately what she said, she had to abide by, even if she didn't like it. She heard Navi sigh again. “Alright. Although I personally still think its for the best if we stop them altogether, I can agree with you that it doesn't look like it will bode well for us if we went through with it. Either way though, we're screwed so I suppose any little bit helps.”

Lin smiled in agreement. “So do you want me to wake up early in the morning and come talk to you more in detail about it?”

Navi nodded. “Yes, I'd like for you to come see me in the morning, but no so early though. You had a rough day today, so I think I can let it slide of you slept in a little bit. But once noon time comes, I'd like for you to come here so that we can discuss more in detail what we're going to do about this. About that time too, I ought to have sent out the letter by then.” She smiled at Lin and turned to continue her walk to her desk. “I'll inform the hunters about what's going on, so don't worry about it. Just get on home and get some rest. You need it.”

Lin watched as Navi moved to go sit down at her desk and pulled out a sheet of paper to begin composing the letter she was going to send. She gave a small bow of respect to Navi and turned to go exit the building. Lin really hoped that she was able to get some answers, because not only she was wanting to know what was going on, so did Sheik. She nearly groaned aloud at remembering him. She almost forgot. He was waiting for her to arrive at her home. She had given him directions to get there as they neared the border of her village. He didn't wish to be seen by anyone as he was told to not let anyone other than her see him. Her thoughts then turned what Sheik promised to tell her regarding her journey. She was highly curious as to what he was going to say.

~~

Lin opened up the stable door and slunk through it, being careful to leave it slightly ajar in order to allow Sheik to get through it. It was the only thing he had requested of her to do whenever she reached her home. That way he'd be able to sneak in without anyone noticing otherwise. She was still a little bit confused as to the specifics to why he needed to not be seen, but she figured that it probably had something to do with him being a Sheikah and the fact that they hadn't been seen in a while and were considered to be extinct.

She looked over to see Epona over in her stall looking at her expecting. She smiled and moved to go get the girl some oats to eat. Once the trough was filled up appropriately with her food, her smile widened when Epona went to eat them. Her hand began to run through the horse's hair as she started to pet her. “I'm sorry for not giving you a bath today like I had wanted. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to it.”

“You're talking to your horse?”

Lin immediately jerked back in fear and let out a small squeak as she spun around to see Sheik standing behind her. She would've laughed at the expression he was showing on his face had she not been so frightened by him showing up behind her out of nowhere. Once she figured out that it was just him, she put her left hand on her chest in an attempt to calm herself down. She breathed heavily. “Don't do that! You scared me!”

“How did I manage to scare you when you knew I was coming?” He found himself amused at the blush that came over her face at her realization that he did have a point with his question. He would've smiled at how she looked, but he forced it to stop forming on his face. He didn't need to get too attached to her. He instead glanced at the stable door she had left open for him. “I closed it back for you after I came in.”

Lin looked at the door to see that it was in fact closed. She took one more deep breath to chase away the last bit of the fear she had in her from his scare. She removed her hand from her chest. “Thank you.” She turned towards the door that led into her house. She felt a little wary about letting him in, but after she reviewed what all had happened earlier that day, she knew that deep down she didn't have a reason to fear him. She began to walk towards the door. “This door goes inside my house. You'll have to forgive some of my mess. I wasn't exactly expecting visitors whenever I came home today and plus I haven't had time to clean up since I just got back home yesterday.” She blushed sheepishly at this. She really needed to work on keeping her house up. It did tend to pile up on her when she didn't. 

Her hand grasped the door handle and using her weight, she pushed the door open. She found the switch to turn on the lights and walked inside. She continued on to her stove and left the door open, expecting him to close it after he came in behind her. As she knelt to begin to light the fire in the stove and start cooking a meal, she heard the door close and knew that he was inside now. “You can put the sword and shield next to that vanity there.” She heard a thud noise which she assumed as those items being sat there. Then she heard him walking into the kitchen area where she was.

Lin smiled as she saw the fire slowly started to flicker and come to life. Once its progress looked promising, she stood up to begin gathering things to cook. She moved to the pantry and started to peruse what she had stocked there. “Hmm...” She turned to look back at Sheik who was not sitting at a chair at her small table. “Is there anything you're particular towards eating? I can't promise to make a big, elaborate meal. Only simple things.”

She saw the look of amusement form on his face. “You can't make elaborate meals?”

Lin immediately felt a twinge of annoyance when she heard what he said. She had heard that particular set of words so many times from other people in her village that she was getting sick of it. “No, I can't. I guess I'm not exactly a 'perfect' female until I learn to do so.” She quickly turned her gaze back to the pantry. She started mentally chastising herself though for saying it. He probably didn't mean anything by it. He was more than likely just asking a simple question.

“I didn't mean that exactly. I was just curious.” She heard him pause momentarily as if he was deciding whether or not to speak his next words. “...some women from village can't even do that. My aunt included.”

Lin's annoyance was quickly replaced with guilt. She didn't mean to snap at him initially, but she couldn't stop herself. She sighed and grabbed a couple of potatoes from the pantry and moved to place them onto the counter top next to the stove. “Sorry. It's just that, well, a lot of people here tend to look down on women who don't know how to do that. The reason for it is something along the lines of 'it makes you look like a less candidate for being a wife' or some kind of crap like that.”

“Why would they think that?” Lin heard him ask with a tone in his voice that sounded like he was surprised to hear someone think that. She pulled open a drawer and pulled out a knife to begin peeling the potatoes. “Honestly, I'm not quite sure. I guess that's just how they picture what women should be good at.” She laughed dryly. “Guess I fail at that though. I even had Fado, a friend of mine here, try to teach me, but nothing I ever made turned out any good. I suppose it's a good thing that I can't do it. Otherwise I'd poison everyone with my cooking. Ha!”

She considered it a personal victory when she heard him snort at her comment. Maybe she was slowly breaking him out of his shell. Course it would take a lot more than just telling him jokes though. She thought back to her question she had asked him regarding the food. “You know, you never did tell me what you wanted to eat.”

“...you're not going to poison it, are you?”

Her eyebrows furrowed together at his question. Why would he ask such that? Did he thing she hated him? “No...why would I do that?” She paused her peeling and turned her head to look back at him. He didn't have an easily discernible expression on his face that she could tell. ' _Darn that scarf he wears…_ ' But she could see that he was studying her as if trying to see for himself if she would. A thought came to her then. Maybe the reason why he was asking this question was connected to part of his Sheikah training? Or to get even deeper, perhaps it was something that happened to him in his past? Or maybe he was afraid that based on the joke she made that she might _actually_ poison it? Either way, she had a feeling that she shouldn't push it, especially if she was planning on getting him to willingly open up to her. “If you want, you can watch me prepare the meal, that way you can see for yourself if I'm poisoning it or not.”

He seemed to contemplate her suggestion and after a few moments, he stood up from the chair to come stand next to her to watch her process. Lin turned to focus on what she was previously doing, a little embarrassed to have him so close, but she _did_ suggest the idea, so she only had herself to blame. “I'm just making potato soup. Its a quick and simple dish to make and seeing as we both are probably tired out from trekking the entire way here, it seemed like a logical choice.”

She didn't look back at him to see his response, but instead leaned down to open up a lower cabinet to grab a large pot to put some fresh water in. She would need to prepare some broth before putting the now peeled potatoes in.

~~

Sheik looked at Lin from across the table of hers that they were now sitting at. Each of them had a warm cup of green tea that she had prepared for them both while they were waiting for the soup to finish cooking. He was secretly glad that she had this tea for it was one of his favorites to drink. He watched as she picked up her cup and began sipping at it. He thought back to her offering to let him watch her cook. He felt slightly guilty on his part for even asking if she was going to do that, but in his defense, he had that happen to him before (luckily, his aunt was able to find an antidote before it got worse) and he didn't want to risk it happening again. He was surprised that she didn't pressure him as to why he said that and instead allowed him to come make sure that she wasn't going to do just that. Maybe she was different from all the other people that he knew? It was a slight possibility, but he wasn't too sure. Regardless, they needed to talk business now. “We need to discuss what the journey is supposed to be about.”

She put her cup back down onto the table. She had a look of curiosity on her face. Apparently this had been on her mind for a while now. “Okay. I'm not entirely sure what to ask though about it honestly. The only question I have in mind right now, is the one we're both thinking of is 'why is the Hero a woman', but neither one of us knows the answer to that one.”

He nodded as he grabbed his cup to take a sip of tea. Hmm...not bad. She prepared it well. Most people didn't have the touch for preparing it just right, but maybe the talent she lacked for making complicated meals went to her tea brewing ability instead. “I suppose its best to start from the beginning.” He put his cup back onto the hard surface of the table and looked up at her with a serious expression. “Do you remember the Great War?”

“You mean the one that happened 200 years ago? Yeah, I know of it. It's part of the reason why Hyrule is like it is now. What does that have to do with me now?”

“As with every trial that Hyrule faces, a Hero and Princess are destined to arise and stand up against it. And just like with that war those two figures arose to stop Ganondorf who had been risen from the dead.”

He saw her eyes widen greatly and gasp at his words. “But...I thought he was dead. Didn't he get killed by the Hero of Light? Plus I don't recall there being a Hero that existed during the Great War. Are you sure you aren't mistaken?”

Sheik shook his head. “A Hero did exist during that time. Though he probably wasn't recorded in history as he failed in his duty to stop Ganondorf, who had been resurrected from the dead by a powerful follower of his.”

“The Hero...failed? But... I thought the Hero always won.”

He sighed. “Typically they do as it is their destiny to prevail, but apparently we all got too complacent with that story and failed to realize that there was a possibility that the Hero could fall in battle and not be able to stop the evil plaguing Hyrule. Especially if the Hero wasn't ready to face said evil.”

He saw Lin's left eyebrow raise at this. “Come again? He wasn't ready?”

He nodded. “He wasn't ready for the battle with Ganondorf because he didn't face the necessary trails that the Hero needed to go through in order to better their skills and learn the lessons they needed to. Instead he was basically drafted right after the mark appeared on his hand to face Ganondorf. There wasn't any time for him to prepare like the others before him had done. So essentially he was destined to fail due to that mistake.”

Sheik could see the question she had written on her face. “But why couldn't he just stop and do what all the other ones did? I mean, wasn't there _any_ time at all for him to get ready for it?”

“No, there wasn't any. You see, you may recall some of it from your history books, I presume, when the war started it was pretty much immediate. Plus the Hero wasn't found until about a month and a half into the war. So essentially he had about two weeks to prepare for the battle that he had to face.” He grabbed his cup of tea again to take another sip. “Without any prior training and the trials to go through to strengthen his body, mind and soul to prepare, he was a sitting cucco, so to speak. Plus from what I can recall from reading in the history books I have back in Kakariko, this made him arrogant to the point where he believed that there was no way he could fail, even though history says otherwise.”

“Oh.” He watched her grab her own cup of tea to drink. He continued his tale. “Then when you add into the fact that the Sages discovered that Ganondorf was going to attempt to make a move for the Triforce of Power that lay in the Sacred Realm since his death at the hands of the Hero of Light, this added more to the importance of the Hero needing to move in quickly. He was unable to stop Ganondorf from gaining back the piece and, due to his arrogance and lack of skill, he fell at the madman's hands.”

Lin felt her stomach turn to lead. So if he failed, does that mean that she could? He apparently could see where her train of thought was taking her. “This failure lead to the Sages sealing him away in the Sacred Realm and they began to prepare a plan that would help secure the next Hero's success.”

“Which would be me in that case?” She still felt upset at knowing that there was a big possibility that she could fail at this task and die, but at hearing the words that Sheik said about the Sages putting things into place that way she'd have a greater chance of succeeding helped some of that feeling go away.

“Yes. The plan was separated into four parts that would ensure that the Hero would succeed. Each part would come together to ensure that the new Hero would be ready for another encounter with Ganondorf.”

“Wait, so Ganondorf is supposed to come back? I thought he was sealed away...” Lin was confused at this point. Why would they try and prepare for something like this if they had already taken him out of the picture?

“Ganondorf himself said that he was going to find a way back to the physical realm in order to finish what he started. And in that case, the Sages weren't going to take it lightly. If and when Ganondorf breaks lose from his seal, the only person who can stop him is the Hero. That's how its been since the dawn of the first Hero.” Sheik sighed. “Its a risk that Hyrule can't afford to take towards his words. Especially since with what happened during the Great War.”

Lin nodded. So many races were wiped out during that war and it made her irritated to think that this one man, the one who appeared in both of the stories of the Hero of Time and Light, would do something like that to people who had done nothing to him except for protecting what was theirs. He needed to be stopped. “So what are the four parts of the plan then?”

“The first part of the plan they made was that the Hero would be trained physically in the ways of swordsplay, archery, magic and self-defense. This would be done by having someone who was chosen by destiny in the Sheikah tribe to become the guide and guardian of the Hero. This someone would not only protect the Hero throughout their journey, but they would train them in those ways. You already know who that 'someone' is already based on what I told you earlier.”

“Well, I've got the archery part down, I'll say.” She laughed a little and nodded for him to continue.

“The second part of the plan was for the Hero to be trained mentally which would be done by the Sages preparing places that the Hero would have to travel through and use their wit and knowledge to figure a way through them. They would also have to face many monsters and the bosses of each of those places to show how their skills have grown.”

“So basically they're all dungeons?” Sheik nodded in confirmation. “Yes. At the end of those dungeons items would be found that are called the Sage's Relics. Each of these relics contain the Sages' powers. Each relic acts as a key to open up the next dungeon and they all are to be used at the end of the final dungeon located in the Shadow Temple back in Kakariko Village. There is an item, a crystal, located there that holds the memories of the Sages. These items would be used to break the seal on the crystal which would then free them.”

Lin stopped short of pulling her cup of tea to her mouth. If she thought she was confused before, she definitely was now. “Why are their memories and Powers in the relics and crystal? Why don't the Sages have them?” She brought the tea up to her mouth and began to drink some more.

“The Sages as you know them no longer exist.”

She nearly choked on the liquid in her throat and coughed to help the remaining bit of it finish going down into her stomach. She put the cup back onto the table. “What?”

“Shortly after they finished preparing this plan, they sealed their powers into the relics and their memories into the crystal. After that they gave up their ethereal forms to be reborn as normal Hylians who would then obtain the powers and memories that were released from those items once we break the seal on the crystal.”

She grabbed a nearby napkin to clean up the tea that had dribbled out of her mouth during her choking incident. “So, there's six people out there right now that are reincarnated Sages and they don't even know it, is what you're saying, right?” 

“Yes.” Sheik picked up his tea and drank some more. “We're not entirely sure why they did it for, but now that we know that the Hero is now a female, I think that may have something to do with it. There's a reason why none of us, including you, knew about this and the only people who would know is the Sages, but they're currently unavailable. Until we awaken their reincarnations, we won't know the truth behind it.”

Sheik brought his right hand up to his chin in thought. “I think that they may have done it this way to prevent anyone from accidentally or intentionally leaking out the new information, but as to why exactly, I won't know until I ask them myself.”

Lin placed the napkin back down onto the table. “What about the other two parts?”

He removed his hand. “The third part was to make sure that you were spiritually ready to face Ganondorf and that will happen before you obtain the Master Sword. As to what exactly you have to do, I'm not sure on that, it wasn't really elaborated on. The last part though is contained within the Sages' memories and until we release the seal, we won't know anything about it.”

He looked up at Lin. “Until then though, we can only focus on the first two parts of the plan. I need to train you and we need to find these dungeons in due time. There really isn't a time limit as to when we need to start, but I would recommend that we would begin as soon as possible. Ganondorf is surely to still have followers roaming around Hyrule, perhaps even those creatures that attacked you have something to do with them. I don't want to risk us losing the chance to prepare Hyrule for the time when Ganondorf does find a way out of the Sacred Realm by waiting too long.”

Lin stood up to go check on the soup. “I do agree on that, but I can't just go traipsing around Hyrule and leave my tribe without me. I have duties here I have to uphold and fulfill and with winter just right around the corner, they'll need me more than ever.” After she confirmed that the soup was done, she sighed as she opened a cupboard to grab two bowls and spoons. “Where is the first dungeon located at?”

“Its deep in the woods.”

Lin thought. If it wasn't that far from here, then perhaps she could find a way to get there and back without causing people to be alarmed at her disappearance. Still though, she hated to leave them anytime soon, especially when they needed her. Plus with Navi worried about the notion that there might be more of those metallic beings in the forest, she wouldn't let her leave anytime soon. But, she thought about the vacation she still had yet to take. Maybe that was a solution in of itself.

“Well, Navi, the Cheiftess of my village by the way, has yet to give me my vacation as I was promised to take after a ceremony I had to attend at the castle.” She began to spoon some of the soup into the bowls, making sure to let Sheik have a clear view of what she was doing in order to make sure that he didn't think she was poisoning his bowl. “She didn't give it to me immediately when I returned home since the person I had put in charge of the hunters got sick shortly after I left, so I have to take things back into my command until he gets better.”

Once the bowls were adequately filled, she grabbed them carefully, as they were still a bit hot, and carried them over to the table. She placed the spoons down onto its surface. “Maybe until then you can start training me and once I get permission to take my vacation, we can use that time to go to this forest dungeon. After that though I'm not sure what we can do, as I figure the rest of them are in other locations around Hyrule, correct?”

He nodded and grabbed the spoon she had sat down before him. “That could work for now, but although we still have time, we do need to quickly find a way to leave this place. Although I do understand that you have duties to fulfill here, the ones that you have to Hyrule as a whole come first.” He spooned some of the soup into his spoon and waited for it to cool enough for him to put into his mouth. Once it was in his mouth, he marveled at how it tasted. He didn't voice how good he thought it tasted though.

Lin put some soup into her own utensil. She knew he was right overall, but she didn't want to leave Kokiri. Although it had its downsides, it was still her home and as such she wanted to help it anyway that she could. She didn't want to abandon her position and leave her village hanging. She sighed before putting the soup into her mouth. Maybe something would come along that would help make her leaving easier.

~~

Ingo stomped down one of the many streets that made up the town he lived in. He was on his way to one of his many contacts in order to place an order. An order that his boss had told him to make that regarded the information he had given him about the object that glowed at his home earlier today.

He sighed. Why did he have to do all the work? Why couldn't that man do something for once?

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind once the sign that bore the name of his contact's shop came into view: the Groosenator. He pushed open the door that led to the inside of the shop and closed it behind him. His contact in question was sitting behind the desk at his worktable, hunched over, working on a project of some kind that he could see. He cleared his throat to bring the red-haired man's attention to him.

The man took his attention off of the thing he was working on and looked back at the well-dressed man who had called him out. “May I help you, sir?”

Ingo walked over to the desk and pulled a paper he had folded out of his pocket to give to the man. The man in question grabbed it and unfolded it to see what it had written. He saw him pale slightly at what was written on it. “You want _15_ more orders for those two robots I made for you?! That's a lot of work to put in for something like that, especially in the time frame that you need them in.”

“I understand that, Groose, but I was told by my employer that he needed them as soon as possible! He told me to provide you with any amount of rupees you needed to make them quicker, but that he needs them now for a project he has.” Ingo hoped the man would take the bait. He didn't want to have to resort to bribery or blackmail. That took too much effort on his part and had already done put in too much of it for this.

Groose grunted in irritation. “I could try my best to get them done as quickly as possible but bringing in all my employees to help work on them, but even with that effort, it will still take about a week and a half at the most. We can't guarantee them to you tomorrow.”

Ingo nodded. Well, it was better then nothing. “That'll be fine. I'll be coming to check on their progress as the time goes. My employer was most insistent on me doing so.” ' _I better be getting paid more for this. I do have my own duties I need to attend to…_ '

Groose nodded and tossed the paper containing the order onto the worktable behind him. “I'll need double my usual down payment for an order this large.” He watched as the man pull out a large bag of rupees and dug around inside of it to pull out the amount that he desired. It made the golden-eyed man vaguely wonder who his employer was that could afford to have that much money on hand to throw at stuff like this. Not that he was complaining as it did give him work as well as some pay that he could give to himself and his employees, but it still didn't stop him from being curious.

Once the rupees were placed in Groose's hands, Ingo turned to walk out the door. Before he exited the shop though, he turned back. “Remember that I'll be back here in the next few days to check on their progress. My employer wants to be kept updated on it.”

“Yeah, yeah...” Ingo decided to ignore the man's tone and instead walk out out the door, nearly slamming it behind him in the process.

Groose took the rupees he had given him and put it inside of a safe that was located inside of the desk. Once it was secured, he turned back to his project. He saw the order paper sitting next to it and sighed. This was going to be a long week and a half.


	8. Chapter 7 - Ill Omen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darkness waits for no one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also posted on my devART, FF.net and Tumblr (links in profile)
> 
> ~~
> 
> With this chapter now posted, the story is caught up with all of the other postings on the other profiles I have.
> 
> I'm still working on the next chapter, but I'm hoping to have it out here soon.
> 
> Enjoy!

~~

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**

Flames of Change

_Chapter 7: Ill Omen_

By: knowlee

~~

_[1 week later…]_

" _Again!_ "

Truth be told, Lin felt like she was about to pass out. She knew, in the back of her mind, that the training aspect of the journey would be hard, but with how she felt right now, the word 'hard' didn't quite feel like the right word to describe it.

She straightened up the beginning stance for what Sheik had dubbed a 'kata' (she had never even heard of the word until then). Once more, she went over in her mind how the moves for the kata were supposed to go and hoped this time she got them right. Otherwise, she'd heard Sheik tell her to try again.

She grumbled under her breath at this. For the past week, she had been getting up early to go do her regular duties as leader of the hunters. Although those duties were a bit lessened now since Navi didn't want anyone to stay in the forest for too long due the potential threat of more metallic creatures that could be lying in wait. But regardless of that though, as soon as Lin returned from finishing those duties, she would only have time for a quick lunch and then Sheik would start her up on her training. He had started to teach her the basics of swordplay and after she got done doing some of that for about an hour he switched to working on her marital arts. The two would then take a short break, and start all over. He had yet to teach her any magic though since he was afraid that it might catch the attention of one of the villagers.

All of this extra exercise Lin had started going through made her get tired more easily and all of her muscles felt sore (even those she didn't even know she had!) when she woke up the next morning. So once the day was done, she barely had enough time to take a bath and eat before she immediately fell asleep once her head hit her pillow. Although Sheik had told her that she'd get used to it eventually and wouldn't feel that tired and exhausted as time went on, at this point she really doubted it. She vaguely wondered if he had felt this way himself at some point during his initial training.

Once she thought she had the correct motions figured out, she started to move her body to perform them. As she moved, she waited for the moment where Sheik would tell her something was wrong. Not that she didn't mind his advice on making things better, because honestly she was a novice at this, but how he usually went about it, wasn't exactly the way she hoped he would. Perhaps this was how he had been trained? Or maybe she was too used to not having someone correct her like this when training in something? She _had_ taught herself her archery skills, so maybe that was it? Either way there were times when she fell him grating on her nerves, but to her credit she hadn't snapped at him...yet anyway.

She finished the last move in the kata and after completing it, she turned to face him and bowed. Now to wait for his critique.

"Not bad. Although the stances could use some fine tuning, you do have the idea of where the moves are supposed to go." Lin let herself smile a little. Finally, some praise for something from him. She turned her attention away from her thoughts as he began to speak again. "While we're working on the fine tuning, one other thing I can mention that needs to be done with this kata as well as the other moves I'm currently teaching you and will get to eventually is that you need to put some force behind your move. This helps to make it to where you are used to attacking with force instead of just simply performing the move. You won't get a chance in a real battle to redo your move, so this is the reason why I'm telling you this."

Lin nodded. It made sense to her. "Okay, but why do I need to do this series of motions? Why not just learn the moves themselves?"

Sheik sighed. He really wanted her to learn these moves as fast as she could, but at the same time, he couldn't blame her for her question. He, too, remembered asking Impa those same exact ones when he was training under her. Because of that, he couldn't really get irritated at her for asking them. She did need to know and perhaps, it would help her understand why she needed to do this. "These katas that I'm teaching you are not only teaching you the moves, but they're showing how to put them together. If I were to just teach you how to do a single move without showing you how to move fluidly from one to the next, would you honestly be able to tell me that you would know how to practically move in a real one-on-one fight using the knowledge of just knowing how to perform the single moves?"

The looks she showed on her face let him know that she contemplating her answer. "Well, if you put it that way, probably not. I would probably hesitate to figure out what move to make next and lose my chance to attack them."

Sheik smiled under his scarf. That was a good answer. "Indeed. Although it doesn't hurt to analyze your opponent and figure out their weak spots, when you're in a situation where you have to make a move doing that can cost you. For both situations, that is why you're learning the katas. These will help you move from one motion to the next and let you not only land a hit on your opponent, but make it to where you can combine many of them to either push them back or knock them out completely. Plus if you learn to put more force behind each move, you'll give them more power."

She had to agree that his explanation was sound. And even if he did annoy her with his constant critique of her stances, she should give him the benefit of the doubt. He _did_ have more experience in this and not to mention that there was a lot riding on her getting better at this. The title she had wasn't just a statement; she would have to live up to it. "Right. So I suppose I should do it again but with the advice you gave me, correct?"

Sheik nodded. At least she wasn't complaining this time. He understood that she wasn't used to such strenuous activities as he was, but he could admit that some of her complaints annoyed him at times. He didn't even remember complaining this much to his aunt back during his training days. Although a small part of the reason behind that was probably because he found his aunt back then to be very intimidating and he didn't want to incur her wrath by questioning her. That opinion still held now though for him though it had lessened somewhat since his younger years.

He watched as Lin moved to back to the first stance in the kata. Before she could move to the next one though, he heard the tell-tale sounds of hurried footsteps coming towards their location. He quickly signaled to Lin that someone was coming and before the person could see him, he leapt up into the trees without a sound.

Lin saw in the corner of her eye, Sheik motioned to her quickly in the direction of the pathway that lead back into the village. Before she could ask him though what he meant, she saw him jump out of her line of sight and disappeared into the trees surrounding their makeshift training grounds. She was still confused as to what he was doing until she heard someone calling out her name. "Captain Lin!"

Lin turned her head away from the direction Sheik had fled and looked at the area the Sheik motioned to to see one of her hunters running towards her. She groaned under her breath at the sight. ' _Please tell me that Navi isn't wanting me to do something else now! I've already got enough on my schedule as is!_ '

The hunter got closer and closer until he came to a stop within a few feet of her in order to catch his breath. Lin quickly tried to hide the nervousness she felt at the possibility that this person might have seen her companion during that short time span. Sure, she didn't doubt Sheik's capabilities at stealth, but she knew her hunters as well. They were trained specifically to see through camouflage and disguises in the forest in order to find the prey they were seeking.

To her relief, when the hunter moved to rise up from being hunched he made no noise or indication that he had seen anyone else with her. "Captain Lin?" Lin nodded. "Yes, is there something you need me for?"

"Chieftess Navi wants to speak with you. She didn't tell me what for specifically, just that she needed to speak with you as soon as possible." She furrowed her eyebrows together at this. What did she need her for? Did this have something to do with the letter she sent out a week ago? Then her eyes widened. Or did Colin get better? At that thought, she felt her stomach get nauseous suddenly. If that were the case, then that meant that she'd be going on her journey soon. Although she knew it was going to come sooner or later, it still had yet to fully hit her that it was real. Lin removed the look she had on her face in order to prevent the hunter from getting any suspicious feelings towards her. "Tell her I'll be there shortly."

The hunter nodded his head and turned around to began his trek back into the village. Lin began going over things mentally in her mind that she needed to do before seeing Navi. Sure, she knew she said 'as soon as possible' but there was no way that she was heading over there now in her current state. She grimaced as the realization hit her that she was covered in sweat and dirt. Yep, she definitely wasn't headed over that like this! She needed to get a bath first.

She heard a low thump come from behind her and if this were a week ago, she would've jumped, but since she was now fairly used to it she didn't even flinch. She knew who it was anyway. "What was that about?"

Apparently he was just as curious as she was about what Navi wanted. She shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but I figure it can only be one of two things: the letter or Colin, the guy who's supposed to cover for me on my vacation. There's a slim chance that it's something other than those things, but I don't think that's going to happen."

She heard him make a low 'humming' noise. "Hopefully its about one or both of those first things. I don't think we need to add something else on our plates to worry about."

She giggled at the thought. "Same here. Although I have a feeling that that will eventually happen before this whole 'journey' thing is over with." She turned her head back towards him to give him a small smile. She couldn't tell if he gave her a reaction though cause he was still covering his face. "However though," she continued, "before I go anywhere I'm going to take a bath. Although I know Navi personally, I'm sure she still doesn't want me to come up into her home smelling like a wet dog!"

Sheik suppressed a laugh at her statement. Even he had spent the last week with her and practically shared the same living space with her during that time, he still tried his best to keep his distance. At times he found it to be difficult, especially since it seemed to him like she was trying to get to know him as a person. Although a small part of him thought that she genuinely wanted to, he refused to give in to her attempts.

He watched as she headed in the direction of where her home was located to, what he presumed, get ready to meet her village's leader. He watched her for a few moments before he sighed and turned back to the training grounds. Even though it appeared that her training was over for now, he could get some in for himself. He started for the ground's center. He would have to do it quietly lest he catch one of the villager's attention.

~~

Lin knocked on the door to Navi's home to announce that she had arrived. Once she heard her voice telling her to come in, she grabbed the doorknob and turned it to open the door. After walking inside and closing the door behind her, the first thing she saw was a man standing before Navi talking with her. She gasped slightly as she recognized the mop of blonde hair he had on his head. "Colin?"

Said man turned around to look at her and smiled at her. "Ah, nice to see you again, Captain! Sorry for the late welcome home, but I was out for a while. It wasn't intentional, I assure you."

She laughed and walked over to stand next to him. "Oh, there was no offense taken, I promise. I'm just glad to see that you're better now. It isn't fun being sick."

A smile formed on her face when she heard Colin laugh loudly. "No, it sure isn't!" The two heard Navi clear her throat to bring their attention to her. Navi smiled and moved closer to the two. "So I can see that you probably have put two and two together as to why I called you here Lin."

Lin spared a glance over at Colin and realized that now that he was out and about, she had the opportunity to take her vacation. She initially felt relief at the thought, but then remembered shortly after that was the words she told Sheik about them leaving during her vacation to go to the first dungeon and complete it. The slight dread she felt earlier towards it came back to her. She mentally sighed. But she would keep true to her word. "I suppose with Colin back this means that I can go on my vacation now?" Fearing that she might be overstepping her boundaries a bit, she quickly added. "Not that I mind still working, but I feel that after all the stuff that has happened last week that I kinda need it."

Lin knew in the back of her mind that she wouldn't be doing anything remotely close to relaxing on this vacation since she did have a duty to uphold, but she also knew based on the conversation she and Sheik had regarding her destiny earlier this week that it was best to keep what they knew between them. Her identity was kept secret for a reason, he told her, and that it was best to make sure that it stayed that way. She couldn't disagree with him on that and plus she didn't want the attention that the revelation would bring if everyone knew who she was. There would be mixed reactions if that knowledge were to be released, some good, some bad and some neutral, but either way at this point any reaction was a bad one. Plus she didn't want to give anyone more reason to look at her weirdly.

Lin could see that Navi was internally debating in her head whether or not to allow her to take her vacation. She couldn't blame her for it, especially since Kokiri did need her help now more than ever, but at the same time she couldn't forget Sheik's words: ' _Although I do understand that you have duties to fulfill here, the ones that you have to Hyrule as a whole come first._ ' She hated to agree with him on this, but he was correct. Overall she would be helping Kokiri more if she were to save Hyrule. Kokiri could survive without her for a week, right? Especially now that Colin was back and he was more than capable to taking over her role until she returned.

She fought to hide the frown that wanted to form on her face from her following thought. But even if she returned, there still was the matter of the other dungeons. She internally sighed. This was more trouble than it was worth…

"That'll be fine, Lin. You can start your vacation tomorrow." Lin jerked out of her train of thought at Navi's voice. She nodded at her words and saw Navi turn her attention to Colin. "That is, if you wouldn't mind, Colin, to take over for a short while."

Colin shook his head. Of course he wouldn't mind. "No, that's fine. I need to get back in the game anyway." He chuckled. "It gets kinda boring being stuck in your own house with nothing to do after a while."

Navi smiled at his words. "That it does. I suppose I'll see you in the morning then. I'll brief on what you'll need to know at that time." She saw Colin nod his head once and with a bow towards her and Lin, he turned to leave and return to his home. She turned her attention back to her second. Based on the expression she had on her face, she could tell that Lin had something on her mind. "Alright, talk. What's on that brain of yours?"

Lin smiled sheepishly. She ought to have known that Navi would be able to tell that she was thinking of something. She had been trying to come up with an excuse to use for telling her why she wouldn't be found at her home anytime this week. The only thing she could come up with was to tell her that she'd be traveling to see her friend Malon in Zora Village. That would take care of anyone wondering where she was during that time, but the problem was trying to convince Navi to buy it. She knew especially after the incident last week about the monster attacking her that she'd be extremely reluctant to let her travel alone. (Although she wouldn't be really alone, but that was besides the point.) She hated to lie, but she had to try.

"I was thinking about using my vacation time to travel to Zora Village to see Malon. I did promise to try and see if I could before winter set in." She immediately saw the frown form on Navi's face. Oh boy, please what ever goddess watched over, please let Navi not put up too much of a fight…

"I'm not sure if I like that idea. Not that I don't mind you visiting your friend, but considering what happened last week..."

"I know." Lin hurried to try and reason with her. She knew that she only had a small opportunity to get her to change her mind. She hated to think if she didn't say what she needed to in order to convince her, that she'd have to sneak away and she _definitely_ didn't want to raise panic by doing that. "I understand your hesitance, but I really want to see my friend again as well as her family. I also know that you don't want me traveling alone to go there, but as I proved back in the forest, I can handle myself."

Navi sighed loudly. "I still don't like the idea." Navi walked back towards her desk to try and collect her thoughts. She was worried about the woman getting ambushed again and didn't want anything to happen to her. She glanced back at her. But if it was one thing she knew, Lin was stubborn and, although she wouldn't directly disobey an order from her, she would still find a way to reason with her to make it to where she would give her permission. A prime example would be how she managed to reason with her to get her to allow the hunters a limited time to hunt in the forest instead of having it being strictly forbidden. She sighed again. Although Lin tended to doubt herself at times, she did have a way with words.

Regardless of that, her first thought was to continue fighting against it, but she knew in the end, Lin did deserve to see her friend. Especially since she had been having ill feelings as of late. Ill feelings that made her think that whatever was about to happen wasn't going to be good. And if that were the case, then although she feared that Lin may be putting herself at risk by leaving the village, she also felt that before this bad thing hit, she deserved to have as much time as she could spending it with others she cared for. Otherwise she wouldn't have another chance and would feel saddened by it. She groaned in irritation. She really hoped that she wouldn't regret this. "You know that if I don't hear or see back from you after a week passes, then I'm coming myself to get you, right?"

Lin's eyes widened suddenly. Was she giving her permission to go? She felt happiness fill her and the corners of her mouth moved to form a smile. "I understand. I'm going to try my best to be back within that time span." She made a mental note to tell Sheik this. She didn't know how far into the forest they were going, but considering that she didn't want Navi to just randomly show up at her friend's house if they went over the designated time and Malon have no idea what was going on, she needed to make sure to be back within that time span. Hopefully the dungeon wouldn't take too long… But knowing her current novice skills, it was a likely possibility that it wouldn't be as short as she hoped.

Navi nodded at Lin's words and a small smile formed on her face. "You better be. I hate to come and drag you back home. I've got duties to attend to. And I expect you to perform yours when you return."

Lin bowed in acknowledgment. "Yes, ma'am! Thank you! I will be ready to go once I get back!" ' _If this dungeon doesn't kill me first…_ ' Lin turned to begin walking towards the door leading outside when a sudden thought came to her. She was curious to know if Navi had received a return letter back from the Chieftain of Oocca. She pivoted around to look back at her leader. "By the way, have you heard anything back from Chieftain Librari?"

With the look that came across Navi's face, Lin could correctly guess that that was a 'no'. She could hear exasperation in her voice when her leader spoke. "I haven't heard anything back yet, but I assume that the letter should've arrived by now. Perhaps I'll hear something back here in the next few days."

Lin nodded. Too bad she wouldn't be here when that letter arrived. She really wanted to know if he had an idea of what they were and where they were coming from. She was sure that Navi would tell her what the letter entailed whenever she returned, but she really wanted to know now. She sighed. She supposed she would have to wait until she got back in order to get her answers. The dungeon came first.

She gave another small bow to Navi and turned to leave the house.

~~

' _Okay, so I'm going to need to make sure I have enough ample supplies for however long this journey is supposed to take. The sword and shield have to come with me. Not to mention my bow and quiver. Hmm… I need to make sure I have enough arrows…_ ' Lin's feet carried her through the village back to her home as she was mentally going over what she needed to take with her on the journey she and Sheik were going to take into the forest. She assumed that the two were probably going to leave first thing in the morning since her vacation didn't start until then and plus it would ensure that the two were well-rested enough to make the trek.

So lost was she in her thoughts that she didn't notice that someone was calling her name until they had walked up to her to grab her shoulder in an effort to catch her attention. She yelped in fear and spun around to see who it was that had touched her. She would've probably attacked them as well by using the new found skills that Sheik had been showing her, but once she saw that it was her friend Fado, she relaxed.

Fado giggled at Lin's scared expression. She had really meant to scare her friend, but she was so in tune with what was going on in her head that she didn't recognize that she had been calling her name for the past few minutes. "Sorry, Lin. I didn't mean to scare you. You look like you had something on your mind. What was it?"

Lin hesitated for a moment while she thought of something to say to her in response. She couldn't very well tell her _exactly_ what she was thinking about, but she knew that she could give her the same response that she gave Navi which meant that she was _technically_ lying. Lin mentally sighed. Although she hated the idea, she had a feeling that she was going to master this unsavory ability before this journey was over with. "I was just going over a list of things I'm going to bring with me when I head to see Malon tomorrow. I just received permission to go on my vacation and I promised Malon that I'd try and visit her so that's where I'm headed."

She saw the frown form on her friend's face. She wasn't pleased with the idea. "Are you sure about that? I mean, with what happened the other day, I'd hate to think that you'd run into something like that again. And if you're traveling by yourself, that will make it even more dangerous!"

Lin sighed. "I know there's a chance that I might run into another one of those creatures, but I think that chance is more than likely slim to none right now. I mean its been a week and no one has seen nor heard of those creatures since then. The ones that attacked me were probably the only ones around. And besides I was able to handle myself when I encountered them," although the second one was by the skin of her teeth and only with Sheik's help, "so I think I have a good idea of how to take care of them if that situation occurred again." Hopefully if that was the case, she'd be able to summon that magical arrow that she used to destroy the last one. She hated how it made her feel drained afterwards, but for right now it was the only proper weapon she had to stop them.

She saw Fado nod slightly in understanding. She could tell that she was still worried about the situation, but she was thankful that she wasn't pushing it. Even though she knew it was necessary, she didn't feel comfortable to continue lying to her friend. Fado smiled and Lin instantly got the feeling that she was about to tease her about something. And, per usual, she was right. "Heh, well maybe on your way to see Malon, maybe you'll meet a guy there who will sweep you off your feet!" Fado giggled.

Lin tried to keep her groan of annoyance from passing her lips. Although she knew her friend was teasing her in good-natured fun, she also could tell that deep down she really meant the words. It reminded her of why she left Mido and Fado's parents care and went to move out on her own when she came of age.

Her parents had never pushed on her the idea of a woman needing to be married like their parents had. Her parents, goddesses rest their souls, just told her that if she were to ever get married to make sure it was to someone who loved and cared for as she was and who treated her right. They never told her that she had to, but only that if she wanted to, she could.

Mido and Fado's parents, on the other hand, were the complete opposite. After her parents' deaths, she was put into their care and when she grew to be a teenager and went through the awkwardness of what all teenagers go through, they began telling her that she needed to find a suitable husband as soon as possible that way when she reached the age of 16, when Kokiri villagers were seen as adults, she would able to get married and begin to have children.

Although she knew that deep down they were only concerned about her well-being, she didn't take too kindly to the fact that they were pushing her to do something that she didn't feel comfortable with doing. She wanted to do her own thing and if she found a husband while doing so, that would be that. But she didn't want to force something that she didn't feel wasn't there. At one point during her time under their care, they became concerned that she perhaps felt attracted to people of the same kind as her, but she knew that that wasn't the case. She was strictly interested in guys only and the only reason why she hadn't pursued one or allowed one to pursue her was due to her parents' words echoing in her head.

Eventually it got to the point where she was so fed up with it that instead of doing what most women in the village did when they came of age and got married, she instead decided to move out. Luckily, there were a few other people who lived in the village who sympathized with her and felt the same as she did and helped her with the process. For that she was forever grateful for them for helping her at a time when she needed it.

Once a place of lodging was taken care of, she decided to enlist as a Kokiri Hunter and follow in her parents' footsteps. At first some people were appalled by her decision, but at the same time it wasn't as if it hadn't been done before. Her mother was one and there were a few other women who were hunters, but as a whole it was a decidedly 'man' thing. Even now with both her and Navi in high positions, very few women still made the choice to join the ranks of the hunters simply because of how the village as a whole viewed it. She silently sighed. She loved her village, don't get her wrong, but there were some things it did that she couldn't agree with.

She smiled at Fado in an attempt to prevent her from realizing how annoyed she was with her previous statement. "I don't know about that. Honestly I don't have time to even think about that right now. I'm just planning on going to visit Malon and her two sisters. No guys are going to be involved in that one." ' _Unless you count Sheik as a guy who's going to be involved in her journey. But even then, the chances of us developing into something that Fado's thinking of is slim to none. I'm hoping that we do become good friends though._ '

Fado could hear the irritation Lin was trying to keep from leaking out into her tone of voice towards what she had said to her. She honestly couldn't blame her. She felt jealous of the woman. Although Lin had her shy moments where she wouldn't be able to speak her mind about things, she still had the strength within her that she could call upon to stand up against things that she didn't agree with. Granted she didn't do it loudly, but her silent statements was loud enough to speak volumes. She wished she had some of that inner strength. She fought to hide the frown that wanted so desperately to fall onto her face.

Sometimes she was sick of her parents.

She wasn't of age yet, but with only a year away until she did cross that threshold, she felt the pressure from her parents to find someone suitable to be with. This pressure was the reason why she didn't have anything ill to say against her best friend. She was proud of her being able to journey across the world and do her own thing without have to worry about much. Sure, she did have people gossiping behind her backs about it, but if Lin knew about it, she never mentioned it to her. Fado wished she could be in Lin's shoes sometimes. To be free to make her own choices and if she did find someone to marry, it would be on her terms.

…But, that was a fleeting dream. A dream that she feared she'd never get the chance to live out.

But it wasn't just her who was affected by it though. Her brother, Mido, was being pressured too. She wasn't sure entirely how, but she had a hunch that it had something to do with how he had started to act towards Lin since she obtained her promotion to be the leader of the Kokiri Hunters about a year and a half ago. Lin had brought her concerns to her a few times and asked her to see if she could get Mido to stop, but unfortunately it didn't do much of anything. Although she didn't know exactly what was going on in her brother's head, she knew that deep down he didn't really mean to act the way he did towards Lin.

She returned Lin's smile. "Well, who knows, you might. But at the same time you're right, you going on this journey to see your friend, not go on a romantic love quest." She laughed at her words and could see that the smile that had formed on Lin's face was genuine and not forced like her last one. Fado decided to drop the topic of men for the time being and instead began asking her about the creature that attacked her. Although it had been a week since the incident had occurred, due to her and Lin's busy work schedules, she hadn't had time to ask her about it and she really was curious about it. She had seen her fair share of technology from her small usages of it in the village, but she was certain that all of what she saw was nothing when compared to what Lin found out in the forest.

~~

After ensuring that he had everything he needed for his nightwatchman job that evening, Mido exited his room and began walking down the steps located near his room to go down to the lower floor of the home he shared with his sister and parents. As he was walking down the stairs, he found himself thinking about Lin and how he hoped she was okay after that incident back in the forest. Although he projected a flirty and womanizing aura when he was around her, he genuinely cared about her well being.

He grimaced as he though about how he acted around her. He really wished he could stop it, but…

He stopped walking and glanced over at the kitchen where his mother was cleaning up after the evening meal and his father was hunched over at a nearby desk working on something. He frowned. They were the reason behind why he acted the way he did around Lin. They were also the reason why Lin left when once she was able. Not that he could blame her either. He would too, if he was able to get a chance. But unfortunately he wasn't as lucky as Lin was. At his current level in the hunters, it didn't pay him enough rupees to allow himself to move out and until he was able to do that, he was stuck.

At first they didn't push the issue so much, but once Lin gained the promotion she always dreamed of and finally fulfilled her goal of becoming leader of the Kokiri Hunters like her late father, it began. They had begun to pressure him to force himself to flirt with her and make her fall for him in the process. Then once the two were married, his parents would find a way to take the position from her and let him have it.

At first he vehemently was against the idea. He knew how Lin was towards the idea that most inhabitants in this village had towards women needing to be married and he didn't want to force it on her. Plus quite honestly he didn't feel that way towards her. Yes, he did really care for her, but not in the way his parents were pushing him to be.

Eventually he was forced to give in to their plans when they threatened to kick him out of their house among other things. So hence why he was now forced to perform the act of someone who was interested in her just to gain his parents' approval. It was something he always dreamed of. He, nor his sister, were never able to do much that gained their attention so it made them desperate to have them look at them with pride when they achieved something.

His parents always wanted to gain some fame or notoriety of some kind. And since they had failed they projected their dreams onto their children. They were pushing his sister, Fado, to marry someone of a high position and where doing the same to him towards Lin. They had even attempted to get Lin to marry someone sometime after she came into their care. And now they were even still attempting to do it through him.

He internally sighed. He didn't want to play around with Lin's emotions and hurt her in the long run. Luckily for him though, and unfortunately for his parents, it looked as if his attempts to charm her weren't working. And for both of their benefits, he hoped it stayed that way. If it was one thing he knew for certain, he didn't want her hurt.

He looked away from his parents and towards the door leading outside. He began walking towards it.

The only other thing he knew for certain was that he wanted to chart his own path. One that his parents weren't forcing on him.

~~

The sound of a door opening came to her ears and Lin turned to find the source. She internally groaned when she saw who was coming out of a nearby house. How could she not recognize that she was that close to their home? She blamed her train of thought. Regardless of how much she didn't really want to interact with him, she also knew that she didn't want to be rude to him either. So she gave him a small wave. "Hi, Mido! Headed to the nightshift, I see."

She fought to hide the frown that wanted to form on her face when she saw him plaster one of his trademark smirks on his own. "Well, hello there, beautiful!"

It took everything she had not to roll her eyes at his statement. If she could say one good thing about Sheik was that he didn't do this to her every time she encountered him. Suddenly an image of Sheik doing just that entered her mind. Oh, goddess, now she had to remove that image from her imagination! That was a nightmare in of itself!

She spared a quick glance at Fado to see that she could obviously tell that she knew Lin wasn't comfortable with Mido's excessive flirtatiousness. And although she appeared to be able to tell this, she wasn't doing anything to stop it. She internally sighed. Perhaps this is why Mido never stopped perusing her when Lin asked her to talk to him. Either that or she knew that no matter how many times she did talk to him, that he'd still pursue her.

Why was her life so unneedlessly complicated?

After hearing Mido spout off a few more _charming_ words in her direction, Lin decided that it was time for her to head home. She did have something she had to get ready for and plus she knew that Sheik, although he was one of the Sheikah, would probably grow impatient at waiting for her to return. As much as she hated to be rude to Mido, she decided to cut through one of his statements towards in order to try and break herself away from the conversation. "Well, it was nice to see you guys again! I need to get back home and start packing for my trip. Don't want to accidentally forget something if I waited last minute to do it." She scratched the back of her head sheepishly to help emphasize her words.

She hid the smirk that was attempting to grow, when she noticed that the two took the bait. ' _Ah, score one for me!_ ' Fado waved 'goodbye' to her. "Be safe during your trip and make sure you come back to us safe and sound now!"

Lin reluctantly turned her attention to Mido and was a little surprised to see a look of true concern on his face. But although she saw it for a moment, it quickly disappeared and soon the normal expression she saw normally on his face replaced it. "Yeah, like my sister says, be safe out there, Captain."

And there was another shock. Very rarely did he ever call her by that name unless they were in the presence of other hunters or Navi. Was his feelings more real that he was showing? As she was wondering the deeper implications of that statement, she knew deep down regardless of how he felt, she didn't feel the same. He was too much like a brother to her. But perhaps she was just reading into it a bit too much.

With a nod of thanks to the pair of siblings, Lin turned around to follow the path that lead to her home. Once she got far enough away from them, she was unable to hear the quiet bickering the two siblings were having about her. If she had heard this conversation, it would probably have given her a big hint as to why they acted the way they did around her.

_"Why did you have to push her like that for, Mido? You know she felt uncomfortable!"_

_"You know darn well why, Fado..."_

~~

As Lin neared the place where she was training earlier that day, she found Sheik focusing on a tree that was located at the edge of the grounds. She was a little confused as to what he was doing, but she didn't say anything to him since she thought that he might've been doing some Sheikah ninja thing and didn't want to interrupt. She had accidentally done that to him about a few days ago and needless to say, she was lucky he was in such control of his movements otherwise she wouldn't be standing here.

Her hunch proved to be true when she saw him suddenly throw an unknown amount of knives at the target that had been put up on the tree by the people who made the grounds. Her eyes widened when she saw that every single one of them hit the bulls eye. She knew he was good, but it wasn't until then that it hit her how good he actually was. If the two were to challenge each other to a target match with him using knives and her arrows, it would be really close; perhaps even a tie.

She quickly pulled herself out of her stupor though when she saw Sheik turn around to look in her direction. She waved at him meekly while smiling in an effort to make it seem like she wasn't spying on him just a few seconds ago. "I'm back!"

"So, what did she have to say?" Sheik turned to look back at her. Without even having to see his face, she could tell that he was curious.

"Well, you know the guy I mentioned that was supposed to help run things for the hunters when I'm on vacation?" She saw him incline his head towards her to show his acknowledgment. "Well, he's better and after managing to let Navi allow me to take my vacation, he's going to be running things for about a week while I'm not there."

"I see." Sheik brought his hand up to his chin in thought and turned his attention towards what it meant for them now. This week would allow them the opportunity to travel to the first dungeon. And with what little of a time frame that was, they meant that they would have to leave as soon as possible. Although he found himself a little curious as to how she managed to convince her leader to allow her to leave. From what he heard about her from Lin, she didn't seem like the type that was so easily budged. "So what did you tell her that allowed you to go?"

He watched her as she began to tell him what she said to her. "I told her that I was going to visit a friend of mine in Zora Village. I really hate lying to her, but I didn't want to cause an uproar by possibly having people discover that I was gone without any explanation. We already had enough of that happen with the metallic creature from last week. I don't want to put anyone through that again."

He nodded. Hearing her say the words' metallic creature' brought him to his next statement. "Did she say anything regarding the letter?"

Lin shook her head. "Only that she assumes that it has probably arrived by now."

Sheik nodded again. "Hopefully we don't run into another one of those things." He brought his hand back down to hang at his side. "For now though, we need to get prepared. We will leave at dawn." He turned to start walking towards the direction of Lin's home. He heard her footsteps fall behind him as she followed.

~~

Lin laid down in her bed as brought the blankets up to drape over her body. With everything that had happened today as well as what was going to happen tomorrow, she wasn't sure if she was going to get any sleep at all. She sighed as she looked over at the bag that sat on the floor near the wall which held the few items she thought she would need on this journey. Once she and Sheik had returned to her home, they spent the next few hours discussing what would be needed on that trip and what food they could take to ration. Lin knew she could afford to hunt during a few days they were journeying so that cut down on how much food they would actually need.

Her gaze shifted to the sword and shield that was propped up against the bag. She felt her stomach clench. It was real. This...was happening. After all this time of dreaming and wondering if something like this would ever happen to her, here it was sitting in front of her face screaming. She was going on a journey just like the Heroes of old. Granted it wouldn't be the same as the Hero of Time's story, but regardless, it was still a journey.

She took a deep breath to settle her nerves and tore her gaze from the items on the floor to her ceiling. She really hoped she did a good job on this quest. All of the other Heroes did well. Well all, except for the last one. Although she knew she could try her best and try and succeed, there was that back thought of what would happen if she failed. If she...died.

Never was she more grateful than she was now that the Sages had thought to allow Sheik to travel with her. With his expertise on certain things and plus with him supposed to be protecting her, she knew that she had a lower chance of something like that happening to her. That thought helped stifle her fear a little.

She sighed. She really need to get to bed. They were both getting up at first light, so she needed all the rest she could get.

~~

He took his hat off of his head and wiped the sweat off his brow. The bag he was carrying felt heavier than ever. He sighed. Today was definitely one of those days.

After replacing his hat back on his head, he glanced around his environment looking for the building he needed to enter. Once his eyes caught the aforementioned place, he smiled. Finally, he could get some rest, especially after where he just came from. He had to meet someone at one of the post offices that could be found at one of the many half way points that were scattered around Hyrule. The one in particular he traveled from was situated the halfway point between Hyrule Castle and Kokiri Village.

Although he wasn't allowed to look at the letters as only the Postmaster had that authority to do so if he wished, he did find himself curious as to why the Chieftess of the village would need to contact the Chieftain of Oocca. He had his theories but he knew he needed to squash those thoughts before they got any bigger. He didn't want his wonder to cause him to break the rules.

With a sigh, he reached the door of the building that lead to Oocca Town's local post office and opened it. It was time for a break.

~~

The flames from the candles he was lighting flickered gently and brought a little light to the front of the altar that was set up in the sanctuary. As he was lighting said candles, he found himself saying little prayers for each of Hyrule's inhabitants that everything in their lives would turn out alright and that nothing bad would happen.

Once he finished lighting one of the candles, he moved to the next one, only to see the flame he had just placed on the candle get snuffed out. He was momentarily confused. How would the candle had gone off? There was no wind blowing in the Sanctuary that would cause it to do so. So how did it do that?

He took the long match that he held in his hand and used it to relight the candle… only to see it go right back out just a few seconds later.

He felt his stomach turn to stone at that point. That wasn't a good sign. If it happened to anyone else, they wouldn't have considered it as a bad thing, but he had been through too much in his life to not consider it. He had learned to look past appearances and understand that things weren't always as they seemed.

He put out the match in his hand and placed the burnt item into a pan that would allow it to not damage anything. He turned to bow before the altar to pray. As he did this, he found himself thinking back to another time where he prayed the exact same prayer he was now. He hated seeing the correlation between the two and he feared how the two could be related.

All he knew for certain was that for someone in Hyrule, their light was about to go out...


	9. Chapter 8 - The Lost Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It always starts in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also posted on my devART, FF.net and Tumblr (links in profile)
> 
> ~~
> 
> Hi guys! Sorry about the long wait for this new chapter. Long story short, first I briefly lost my motivation to work on this chapter and then after that I got stuck at certain parts that I knew I needed to write, but that my mind didn't want to work on. (It wanted to get to the fun parts of the story.) And then I got so busy at work that I wasn't able to do much except for eat, sleep and work and that didn't help me much on my writing endeavors. *sigh*
> 
> But now at last, I can say that this chapter is done! :)
> 
> But I have yet to proofread it though, so if there are any glaring errors, please let me know, but otherwise know that I plan on looking it over to find all of them when I have more time. I just felt like going ahead and putting this out there that way you guys wouldn't be waiting for too much longer.
> 
> And without further ado, here's the latest chapter of Flames of Change!

~~

**A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction**

Flames of Change

_Chapter 8: The Lost Woods_

By: knowlee

~~

His body woke on its own accord before he heard the cucco crowing outside, signaling that the sun had risen. He sighed as he lifted himself off of the small couch that he had been resting on since the beginning of his stay here. Lin had offered him her bed during the first night, but he refused saying that she would probably need it more. It was also her house to begin with. 

He also knew that he would feel more comfortable sleeping in the open area of her living room more than her bedroom. It allowed him more availability to see what was going on around him. Plus if someone attempted to come in through the front door or the one through the shed, he would hear it first in this room more than hers. He figured that the reason behind his penchant for the comfortableness of this was due to his upbringing. He wanted to know what was going on in his surroundings at all times. Luckily Lin hadn't pushed the issue and let him be. Which led to his next thought.

She confused him.

He was so sure that she would be like one of those people from his village and that he would have to keep her at an arm's length to ensure that she wouldn't harm him. And although he was still doing that to make sure that she wouldn't get too close, he also felt that she could be trusted. Not trusted to the extent of her having his full confidence with everything, but enough that he could rely on her when it was needed.

He still had the nagging doubt that she might still pull something over on him and it he knew it was in his best interests to listen to it. Even if it was proven that she wouldn't do that, he still sided with it. He had too many mishaps before to stop listening to it now.

And speaking of the girl in question, he needed to get her up. He knew from the short time he had spent here that she wasn't much of a morning person. Sure, she got up and got ready, but it was rather begrudgingly. He huffed slightly at the thought. She certainly wouldn't make it too long if she was under his aunt's tutelage.

He shifted his legs off of the couch to hang off the side of it and began to put on the boots that he had set aside the night before. As he finished buckling them on, he spared a glance over at his things he had packed neatly last night after Lin came back with the news of being able to leave. He made sure to pack enough items and food for the next few days inside a bag Lin had given him. One of the items he was quite glad to have in his arsenal was an updated map of Hyrule. The one his aunt gave him wasn't cutting it.

He stood up from the couch and began making his way towards the part of the house where Lin's room lay. Hopefully it wouldn't be too much trouble to get her up this morning. They had no time to spare for that. They needed to get going as soon as possible.

Sheik crossed the length of the small home in a few seconds and reached the door that separated Lin's room from the rest of the house. He brought his left hand up, knuckles to the door, and knocked. He had a small feeling that this wouldn't be enough to rouse out of her sleep, but nonetheless he wanted to try it because there could be a small chance that it would work this time around.

He waited for a few moments and listened for any noise that came from the other side of the door. Once he felt he had confirmed that Lin hadn't heard his call, he grabbed the door knob and turned it to allow himself him. With the door opened enough to where he could now see into her room, he was able to confirm that the girl didn't hear him at all.

He sighed. Guess it was time to do it the hard way then.

He pushed the door to its fully open position and walked into the room. He came up the right side of her bed to see her head sticking out from the top of the blankets that covered her lower form and from what he could tell from the expression on her face, she was awake, but was attempting to fake that she was asleep. Too bad he could see right through her act.

“Lin, it's time to wake up. We need to leave now.” No response from her.

Sheik sighed. Looks like he would have to resort to threats to get her to react accordingly. “Lin, if you don't wake up now, I'll force you to get up. Don't make me resort to that option. You know I would do it.” The 'option' that he was referring to was one that he did one day earlier that week where in order to make sure she woke up in time for practice (she was trying to take a short nap in between her job and their training sessions), he woke her up suddenly by dousing her in water. He found himself smiling slightly at the curses she said when it happened. He had to admit that it was funny. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but it was humorous nonetheless.

Apparently that was the ticket to getting her up for just a few seconds later after he said that to her, she pulled herself up into a sitting position on her bed and glared at him. “Don't you dare.”

He snorted. “Well, get out of bed and get ready and I won't have to.” He turned to walk out the door and finish preparing his things. “I'll be out here when you're ready.”

~~

Lin grumbled in irritation as she gathered the things together that she had set aside to take with them on their journey last night and sat them on her bed. She turned around to push the door to a position that would prevent Sheik from seeing into her room (not that he would look anyway, he was respective like that) and began focusing on getting herself dressed accordingly for the trip.

As she opened the drawers to the dresser that held her clothes, she found herself thinking back to that 'option' Sheik was threatening to pull on her again. Her cheeks colored as she remembered sleeping soundly in bed during her nap only to have it rudely interrupted by cold water. She was just glad that she wasn't wearing anything that could've shown anything...revealing. Her face grew even warmer at the thought.

She needed to focus on something else and fast. That thought didn't deserve to go any further.

Lin quickly finished dressing herself in her normal Kokiri Hunter attire and pulled her hair back into its usual low ponytail. With that finished, she kneeled down to put on her boots and moved to attach her quiver to her belt while making sure that her arrows were securely fastened. And lastly, she grabbed the bag and slung it over her shoulder and reached down to grasp the sword and shield in her hands. With everything she needed now within her possession, she used her foot to reopen the slightly ajar door and exited her room.

She didn't even bother to look back since she knew that she would return in a week's time.

~~

After ensuring that they both had everything they needed, the two exited the house and entered the shed where Epona stood waiting. Lin turned to make sure that the door was locked behind them (although she didn't think anyone would ransack the place while she was gone, she just wanted to be careful) while Sheik moved to stand near the horse's stall. He stared at the animal intensely wondering if it was going to try and hurt him. He had never been near a horse before, so the experience was new to him.

Lin turned from the door and saw the apprehensiveness showing on what she could see of Sheik's face. She smiled once she figured out what he was staring at. She smiled even wider as she remembered her first time encountering a horse. She couldn't blame him for feeling that way. It was pretty intimidating to see one up close for the first time. They were a lot bigger than people thought they were.

She turned her attention from the Sheikah and moved to go pet Epona, who was staring back at her companion with the same amount of apprehension he was showing her. At her touch, the horse looked away from the man and towards her master. She neighed in happiness at seeing her.

Lin took this chance to speak. “Based on your expression, I suppose you've never been around a horse before.”

Sheik looked away from the animal in question and shook his head. “I never had a reason to be around one.” He looked back at the horse. “Looks like now though I have a reason to be near one.”

Lin nodded in response. “If it makes you feel any better, Epona's not really that comfortable around strangers. She gets kinda skittish.” She saw Sheik raise an eyebrow at her as if wondering how exactly that was supposed to make him feel better. She laughed slightly at the action. Then she noticed his harp that he had strapped to his back. She smiled. If it worked for her, it had to work for him. All she had to do was teach him the proper notes to play and that would warm Epona up to him. “Although you can get her to like you if you play a particular song for her.” 

Sheik found himself curious at this. A horse trusted people who could play a certain song? Well, that was certainly a first for him hearing about something like that. “A song? What kind of song is this?”

Lin smiled. “It's a song that my friend, Malon, taught me. Epona was a gift from her on my last birthday and she gave her to me since I was able to gain her trust by singing her favorite song.” With one hand still on Epona petting her, she brought the other one up to scratch at the back of her head nervously. “Granted I can't tell you the notes exactly that you have to play, but I can hum it for you. Don't know if you can learn a song that way though...”

Sheik looked from the horse then back to her. It would do better on this journey to have the horse trust him. Plus he knew after some time of interacting with the creature that he would grow accustomed to her. “I can learn the notes by listening. It was one of the things that my aunt taught me to do when I was learning how to play the harp.”

At these words, he reached behind him and pulled out the instrument. He put it in the crook of his left arm where his elbow was and put his right hand in the ready position. He looked over at Lin with and expression that said that he was waiting for her to sing the notes. Lin felt a blush start to form on her face at the thought of singing in front of him. Her voice wasn't exactly the best, but she also knew that he would need to learn this song. Not only would it help with Epona getting used to him, he might need it if the situation called for it since the song also acted as a way to call her to whoever played it.

She forced the embarrassment from her body as she removed her hands from the back of her neck and Epona. She thought about the song Malon had taught her and remembered the notes that was needed to perform it. Lin took a deep breath and began to hum the song, going slowly to ensure that Sheik was able to figure out the notes that was needed.

It took a few more times for her to perform the song for him to finally catch onto the notes, but when he did she found that it sounded more beautiful coming from his harp than it did from her. She was entranced by the song coming from it that she barely noticed that Epona was honing in on him. It was the sudden neigh that Epona made that finally forced Lin from her staring.

She smiled as she realized that the horse was wanting to get closer to Sheik. She made her way to the front of her stall and opened it to allow the horse to walk forward. She looked amused when she turned back to see Sheik have a brief moment of panic form on his face as he saw the animal coming towards him. She tried not to laugh. “Hold your hand out and let her nuzzle into it.”

Lin watched as he hesitated for a moment to do the action, but it didn't take him too long to actually do it. With the hand he had free from holding his harp standing out before him acting as a placeholder for Epona to go, she kept walking until her muzzle came in contact with his hand.

Sheik flinched slightly at the feeling of the horse underneath his hand. He had never been this close to one before so he thought it was understandable that he would have that reaction. “You can pet her, you know?” His eyes flickered over to Lin to see her encouraging him to do what she said and then back to Epona. He hesitated for a few moments more before he finally began to rub her from her forehead down to her muzzle. Epona walked a little bit closer.

In spite of himself, Sheik found himself smiling underneath his scarf. Looks like the horse had come to like him now when compared to a few moments ago when it was unsure. Plus now that the animal was closer and he could touch it, it didn't seem as intimidating. Perhaps that realization would also help him when the time came for him to ride it. He sighed and removed his hand from the horse to look over at Lin. “Now that that's out of the way, shall we get going?”

~~

The two, along with Epona, exited the shed and secured the door behind them. Lin double-checked the bags and saddle that Epona had attached to her to make sure that they wouldn't fall off anytime during their journey. After doing that, she turned to look in the direction of the forest that lay behind her home. It was there that Sheik said that their journey was going to start.

She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't excited. She would also be lying if she said that she wasn't scared, because she was. She was excited to see what they'd find while journeying across Hyrule, but she also knew the dangers that came with it. She frowned.

Lin turned around halfway to look back in the direction of the village. Her mouth formed into a straight line. She was doing this for them and for all of Hyrule. She wouldn't let whatever threat that was supposed to befall it have a chance of catching it off guard. Hyrule would be ready. And she would help make it so.

“Let's go.”

Lin turned away from the village and back to Sheik. He looked at her for a few more moments before nodding and turning to enter the forest. She found herself wanting to look back again to see her home, before she thought better of it. She knew if she looked back she would probably end up giving into her fear and stay behind. And that was something that she knew didn't need to happen.

She needed to move forward.

With that thought in mind, she grabbed the reins that was attached to Epona and used them to guide her to follow while she entered the forest after Sheik.

~~

Although they were only in the forest for about what she estimated to be thirty minutes, she was bored. It wasn't that the scenery was boring or anything, it was actually really beautiful, it was more so the company that she had with her. He wasn't being much of a conversationalist. Neither was Epona, but she was a horse so she couldn't help that.

She didn't really know why this bothered her though. She had traveled across Hyrule many times during her runs with the hunters, some of these trips were by herself, so she wasn't sure why it unnerved her for it to be quiet. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was traveling with someone and usually when she had someone with her they spent a good time of the traveling talking in order to help pass the time. Or maybe it was the fact that she was going somewhere that she had never been before and that added more to her need for conversation. That was more than likely the reason why.

She frowned and looked over to her right where Sheik was walking to see him holding the map out before him and trading glances from the piece of paper to the land ahead. He had been doing that for some time now and while she couldn't blame him, she herself didn't want to get lost (that'd be her luck), she really wished that he'd put it away that way she could try and talk to him. Granted she could go ahead and just ask him what she wanted to know, but she didn't want to be rude.

Lin turned her gaze away from him. Still though, there was no telling how long he would continue to look at that map, so she reasoned that it probably wouldn't hurt to try and get him to talk. But what would she ask though? She thought for a moment and figured that the best answer would relate to where they were going, cause she figured that he wasn't about to give her his life story. He didn't trust her enough to get that that point which she was okay with. She knew if she were in his position, she'd be the same.

“So, where are we going exactly? I know it's a dungeon, but there's still a name for the location, right?”

Sheik still stared down at the map as he wanted to make sure that they weren't straying from the path. “It's a place that's deep within the forest. A place that's hidden to everyone except for those that know of its existence and of how to get to it.”

“Well, that doesn't really give me a straight answer.” Lin raised an eyebrow at the vagueness of his response.

He finally looked away from the map and glanced over in her direction. “The reason for that is that I can't really give you a straight answer. I know the general area of where we need to go because it was taught to me by my aunt. As far as to 'where' it is I'm not sure, but I'll know we are there when I see it.” He shifted his line of sight to the forest before them.

Now Lin was a little confused by his statement. Was this place so well hidden that even the Sheikah couldn't find it? She was curious and a little excited by this possibility as that would mean that this would be an entirely new experience for not only her, but for him as well. But it was the latter part of his words that really made her wonder. “What do you mean 'when I see it'? Is this a Sheikah code word for something or are you literally meaning when you see it?”

Lin looked over to her companion to see that he had stopped walking and had a look of contemplation on his face. She stopped walking (Epona stopping behind her as well) and looked at him in concern. She wasn't sure what had made him stop walking. All she had done was ask an innocent question. But maybe the question meant more to him than just that? Why would it do that though?

Sheik knew that she had every right to be curious. It was just a simple question and he knew that she didn't mean anything by it. But this answer to this question was related to the one thing about himself that he didn't like. It had caused him so much trouble back home so naturally his reaction was to keep it hidden at all costs. But…

He spared a glance at her before turning his attention back down to the map he still held before him.

...since they were going to be traveling together for a some time, it was certainly inevitable that the knowledge about his eye would come to light. It would probably be better for her to know about it now instead of figuring out later and have it lead to some disastrous results. Of course she could still have a bad reaction if he revealed it now, which was what scared him and made him hesitate. His aunt was the only person, besides his parents, who fully accepted his power and didn't judge him for it. Would she join that category once she knew?

He sighed. Either way, he needed to let her know. His poor choice of words had led to her curiosity and he knew that it wouldn't stop bothering her until she knew. Plus he also knew that he would require the use of his power once they reached the destination they were going to and explaining it now would prevent the questions and shock that she would express then. He turned to look back at her and spoke trying to make his voice sound as serious as it could in order to mask the fear he felt towards her reaction. “What I mean by that phrase is that literally that. Only I can see where we are supposed to go.”

He folded up the map carefully in order to force himself to focus on her and his words and took a slow, deep breath to settle his nerves. “There's a magical barrier that protects this place where we are going and only I can see it. Without me being able to do this, we'd never find the location and would be left to wander aimlessly through the forest and get lost in it.”

“A magical barrier? Why would there be a barrier in the first place? To protect an old dungeon? I mean, I know something special is in there, but it still seems like a bit of a waste to me, especially if the dungeon is filled to the brim with monsters like they are said to be in the stories.” In the back of her mind, she knew that was probably a stupid question, but she was still curious. Was there another reason why it was there?

“True, it may be just a dungeon like you said, but regardless the artifact inside of it is very important.” He hesitated to speak the next sentence, but decided to proceed as he knew she would figure it out when they arrived. “But the barrier isn't just meant to protect things. It is also meant to keep things hidden.”

“Keep things hidden? You mean like the dungeon?” Lin raised an eyebrow at his vagueness. What else would need to be hidden besides the dungeon? She swept a quick glance over the surrounding forest and returned to look back at him with a questioning expression. Was there more than meets the eye to this place?

“The dungeon isn't the only thing that needs to be hidden here.”

If Lin thought she was curious before, now she was certain that her curiosity would end up getting the better of her if she didn't watch it. “There are other secrets in the forest?”

She saw Sheik turn his red eye towards her with a glint of something in it that she couldn't recognize. “There have always been secrets in the forest. The only reason why no one has ever found them or discovered them is due to this barrier. And once we find the barrier, we will be the first to discover its secrets since it was designed to be that way.”

Her eyes widened at his words. Okay, now she was excited. Being able to discover a secret no one else (well besides the Sheikah in this case, for obvious reasons) has known about it was a big deal. She smiled. If her journey was starting out like this, she could only imagine how the rest of it would turn out. Though she knew it wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows. It was going to be tough. Hopefully it wouldn't be all that though. She wouldn't mind having excited moments like this sprinkled throughout it.

“So we'll know that it's been found once you see it, right?”

“Yes.” Sheik had turned his line of sight away from her and was now scanning the forest ahead trying to see if there were any current threats they needed to be worried about.

“So...how exactly is it that you see it? Is it some kind of Sheikah magic or something?”

Sheik turned to glare at the ground. He knew this question was coming. He took a deep breath to steel his nerves against the inevitable horror she would express at what she was about to hear him say. “You could say that. I...I have a power that is concentrated in my left eye that gives me the ability to see through illusions and other magical barriers, both physical and metaphysical. It also allows me to see weak points in enemies.” Sheik took another deep breath as he gathered up the courage to continue speaking. At least she had said anything yet and was letting him finish saying what needed to be said. “It's commonly known as the Lens of Truth where I am from. And… it is why I was chosen to be the guardian to the new Hero.”

Lin's eyes widened at his words. “A magical eye?! That's...”

Sheik waited and braced himself for the inevitable negative word that would slip from her lips and cause his fears to be fully realized. He was hoping that she was a bit kinder than the others, especially from what he could gauge about her from their limited interaction this past week, but he also knew that everyone had a dark side to them. Even someone like her.

“...cool!”

...Wait, what? Sheik turned to look up at her and briefly had a look of shock appear on his face at the word she chose to describe it. She didn't think his curse was a bad thing? The realization caused his brain to stop thinking for a few moments as the feeling coursed through him. Once it finally made it's rounds though, he quickly wiped the look of shock from his face before she could notice. He didn't want her to see it and begin asking him questions about why he would have that look on his face before. Telling her about this was all that he wanted her to know about him personally. No more than that. ' _Although, you're the first to say something like that to me about that._ '

“...you're not intimidated by it?”

“Why would I be?” Lin raised her left eyebrow, a little confused as to why he asked that. Maybe he thought people outside of his own tribe would be a little frightened by magic? She could see why for where she was from as a vast majority of people in Hyrule relied on mostly technology now and didn't consider magic to be as reliable now as they did in the past. It would also give another reason why he was hesitate to teach her magic back in her village?

Oh, yeah, she nearly forgot about that little tidbit of information. “Speaking of magic, aren't you supposed to teach me how to use some spells? At least I think that's what you said to me when we were still in Kokiri.”

Sheik drew himself out of his thoughts about how Lin reacted to his power (her last comment especially caused him to get lost in thought as he was shocked by it) and turned to answer her question. In truth, he nearly forgot about that himself. He was too caught up in trying to make sure they made it to the first dungeon that he didn't think about anything else. Some guardian he was turning out to be…

“Yes, there are a few spells that you need to learn in order to help you through this journey. At least four in total. I'll only teach you one for now as you will need time to allow your body to relieve itself from the stress of accessing your inner magical reserves. Your Triforce piece will give you more reserves to draw from, but you will still feel tired after learning these spells.” He turned to grab the bag he had attached to his belt in order to pull out the book he recalled his aunt giving him.

“So I'll get tired like how I did when I used the Light Arrow?” Lin remembered that tired, achy feeling that came along with some dizziness. She grimaced at the thought of experiencing it again.

“You'll get tired yes, but it won't be to the extent as how it was with the Light Arrow. That particular magical ability uses a lot of magic, hence why it had that effect on you and also why it is only accessible to Triforce wielders. These spells don't use that much magic so all you will feel is tiredness after casting them over a period of time. This will especially be the case as you are not used to channeling magic. After some time your body will grow accustomed to it.” Ah, there was the book. He pulled it out and took a moment to look at the symbol of his tribe that the book bore on its cover. Then he opened it to find a spell that he thought would be suitable for her to learn as her first spell.

Lin watched as he thumbed through the pages, searching for what she assumed would be her first lesson in the art of magic. She was excited about delving into a new area of expertise to learn about, probably more so this one that the art of swordplay, and was eager to figure out what would come first.

She looked at the cover of the book he was holding and found herself interested in the Sheikah symbol that he had on its cover. It looked similar to the one Sheik had on his chest, but it was it was different in color and the 'eye' on the book had an ethereal-like blue glow to it and that caught her eyes' attention. Before she could continue to examine the book, she noticed Sheik stop turning the pages in the book and begin to look intently at something in it. She was curious as to what he found.

“Ah, this would be a good first spell to learn. It's a relatively simple spell although it can be a bit hard to control in terms of aiming if you want to get technical with it. But for just using it to throw in a general direction, it's a good beginner spell.” He grabbed the upper portion of the book along it's spine with his right hand and flipped it around to hold it out for her to grab.

In turn Lin let go of the reins that were attached to Epona. She knew the horse would stay and not run away so she wasn't worried about it too much. Instead she focused on the book that Sheik was holding out before her. She grabbed it with careful hands. She didn't want to damage it, especially since she was sure that it was a very important book and that her companion wouldn't appreciate it if she did.

Lin looked down at the page he was talking about to see a diagram of what looked like a person holding out one of their hands and something moving from the palm of it's outstretched hand. “Is this an air spell?”

“A wind spell to be more specific.”

Lin slightly nodded her head as she looked closer at the pictures that she assumed was showing her how to perform said spell. She was eager to put these instructions into action, but unfortunately for her they were written in another completely. She assumed it was a Sheikah-related language (probably much like the one she heard Sheik speak back when they were dealing with the metallic creature) because none of the characters looked Hylian to her. “You do realize this is in another language, right? Although I can somewhat tell from the pictures what needs to be done, I don't think I can learn from that alone.”

Lin's eyes widened at the words that came from her mouth. She hadn't intended on saying that aloud or at least not in the tone she conveyed. She prayed that she didn't make him mad from what she said to him, but she was speaking the truth. She spared a glance up at him. He didn't look like he was upset. Actually he looked more like he was amused at what she said. Was he making fun of her? Or had no one ever talked to him like that before? Either way though, she was just glad that he wasn't mad at her.

Truly Sheik was amused at her words. Sure, the thought hadn't really fully occurred to him at the moment he handed her the book, as he was more concerned with her seeing what it was she was about to learn. The true amusement behind his lack of a reaction was the fact that no one had ever attempted to talk to him like that before. Not even his aunt.

Sure they had talked during the past about different things concerning the upcoming journey or trying to get him up to date on how Hyrule was doing currently, but this was different. She had teased him about something. Sure, it was a little thing, but that little thing, regardless of how much he wanted not to admit it was actually considered a big deal to him. She had spoken to him like any normal person would be spoken to. It made him feel...human.

But regardless of what he was feeling towards that, he would have time later during their journey to sort out his feelings about that action. Now, however, he needed to focus on teaching her this spell. That came first.

He held out his hands to take the book back from her and she followed his example by placing it there. He flipped the book back towards him so he could read it properly. He looked up at her. “First, before we even get to the part of where you are going to cast this spell, you need to learn how to call upon your magical reserves.”

Lin nodded slightly. Even though she was very eager to get to the part of where she actually could cast spells and such she also understood why this was necessary. Although she had called upon those reserves once when she made the light arrow, she considered that to be only because she was desperate and got really lucky. Calling upon it on command though would be more difficult. There was no danger present so she didn't have that to work with.

“Okay, so what do I do exactly?”

“You need to dig down deep inside yourself and find that source of energy that you called upon during that battle with the creature. Once you find that source, you need to pull it to the surface and let it go to allow it to flow through you freely. After that is done, you should be able call upon your magic power when you need it.” Sheik continued to hold the book in his hands as he moved to step back a few paces. Since she was calling upon her magic for the first time without being under duress, he wasn't sure what to expect and wanted to make sure he wasn't really close to her just in case her magic lashed out at him. He knew that had happened before to people back in his tribe who were learning to call their magic for the first time.

“Okay, so how exactly do I do the 'digging' part? I mean, I understand what you're staying about finding the source, but as far as getting there I'm still a little confused.” Lin moved away from Epona and Sheik while asking this. Although she didn't think she was going to hurt anyone by doing this, but since she was a beginner at this, she didn't want to risk it. And by her seeing Sheik move away from her, she assumed that he was thinking the same.

Sheik stood still for a few moments as he tried to come up with a good way to accurately describe what it was that she needed to do. “Do you remember that feeling you had back when you were fighting that creature?”

Lin nodded at his words. “Yeah, I felt a warm sensation coming from the back of my hand where the Triforce symbol is at. Right after that then, I saw the golden light surrounding my arrowhead.”

He inclined his head. “Right, that sensation you felt was you digging into your magic that lay within the Triforce piece you possess. Since you have never really 'activated', so to speak, the magic that naturally lay inside of you, during your time of distress you dug into the golden power. The golden power has always been accessible to you, it's just that you never needed it until then apparently. And although while it is good to have that power at your disposal, it is also good to train your body to call upon your natural source of magic initially that way if a time came when you couldn't use the Triforce's magic you wouldn't be bad off.” He continued to speak. “The way you tap into your natural source of magic for the first time is pretty much the same way. You need to feel a powerful emotion that forces you to unlock it. Once it is unlocked, you can then use it without having to resort to feeling that emotion every time you need to use it. Instead you can use other emotions in tangent with spells, such as the one I'm about to teach you, that will allow you to use your source in different ways.”

“So, I have to feel an emotion really hard to cause my magic to release itself?” Lin was still a little skeptical about what he was telling her, but at the same time she knew that he had more experience in this than she did. She needed to trust him with this.

“Precisely.”

“Does it matter which emotion?”

“No, any emotion can be felt. It just needs to be a strong one.” Sheik answered her question and stared at her as if he was waiting for her to put his instructions into practice. She sighed. Hopefully it didn't blow up in her face. Now she could understand why he waited until they were away from the village to teach her this stuff.

She took a deep breath and began to concentrate. What emotion should she choose to awaken her magic? Lin racked her brain for what strong emotions she could think of. Hate? Sadness? Anger? Love?

Hmm… That last one sounded like a better option to her. Now what could she think of to bring that emotion to the surface? A few seconds passed before an idea came to her.

Her parents.

They could bring the emotion she was searching for to the surface. So she began to focus on what memories she had of them. The first time they showed her how to shoot a bow. The time they celebrated her fifth birthday. All the moments they shared up until that fateful night. She fought back the tears that wanted to come from her eyes at the memories she had of the love she felt towards them. She didn't want to cry here, especially in front of him. She didn't think he'd chide her for it, but regardless of that, crying in front of someone else was too personal for her. Especially if it was someone she barely knew.

Now that she had that emotion flowing through her, she began following the instructions that Sheik had told her. She began to dig deep inside herself until she found what would be her natural source of magic. Once she had found it, she began the process of bringing it to the surface. It took a few times to trying to get it to fully release, but after a few moments had passed she felt a warm sensation come over her and wondered if she succeeded. “Are you supposed to feel warm once you've released your magic?”

He hummed in affirmation. “If that's what you're experiencing then that means that you've successfully unlocked your magical source. But just because you've unlocked it now though, that doesn't mean that all magic will come natural to you. Just like learning any new skill it will take time for you to fully master and control it.”

Sheik looked back down at the book to where the wind spell was shown. Now it was time to see if she could learn the other parts of using her magic. “Now that that is done. Let's see how this spell works out for you.”

He began reading the instructions in order to familiarize himself with the technique needed to cast the spell and once he felt he had it figured out, he looked back up at her in order to relay what she needed to know. “As I mentioned before, this is a relatively simple spell, but don't let it deceive you though. Like air is naturally, it will be hard to control.”

Lin nodded. “It wouldn't hurt to try and see what happens.”

She listened as he told her how to focus the magic into her right hand, which she held out in front of her palm up, and imagine something that makes her happy. He explained that this was the emotion needed to call upon this power at first until she became naturally accustomed to using it.

So she recalled everything that she could think of that made her happy: memories of her parents, traversing the forest with the Kokiri Hunters and hunting in general, sleeping in on off days… She could go on with things that made her happy, but she figured that she didn't need to recall that much of her memories in order to find the emotion she was searching for.

As she felt the emotion course through her, she awaited his next instruction. “With that feeling now flowing through you, all you need to do is say one word. And this word will need to be pronounced as it is in my language in order to get the desired effect. If you say it how it is spoken in Hylian, it won't do anything.”

“Okay, so what's the word I need to say?”

“In your language it is pronounced, 'Farore'. In mine, it's pronouced, ' _Farore_ '.”

“Wait, but that's the name of the Goddess of Courage. So it's also the name of this spell?” Lin raised an eyebrow at the realization. She was trying to piece together why the two were related, but she still couldn't see how.

Sheik nodded at the connection she made. “Yes, Farore is the name of the Goddess of Courage and this spell has a connection to that. Not only is she referred as that title, but she can be called the Goddess of Wind, the Forest and Life among other things. This spell is connected to the Wind title that she has. It is supposed to be a representation of one of her powers.”

“I see. So I just have to pronounce her name just you like you did in order to cast the spell, right?”

“Correct.”

Lin focused back on the magic flowing through her. Hopefully she wouldn't mess this up too bad… “ _Farore._ ”

Before Lin could comprehend fully what she was seeing before her, she felt wisps of wind curl around her hand briefly before she felt the air still around her. She stood still for a few moments to see if anything else would happen. ...but nothing did. She felt a little disappointed. Was this all the spell was supposed to do?

“Did the spell even work? I know I felt something, but I didn't see anything.” Lin moved her arm to cross it under her other in front of her chest. If this was all the spell did, then it certainly was a let down.

“Considering its your first time casting it, what you felt was all it could do for now. With time and practice you can conjure large bursts of air and direct it towards things to use as both an attack and a defense.” Sheik closed the book and moved to put it back into his bag. After that was done he turned back to her. “For now though, it was a good first using it. We'll practice it some more when we rest for camp. For now though we need to get moving. We have to get to to the halfway point before nightfall.”

Lin watched as he turned away from her and began walking towards the direction they were headed for to being with before they stopped. She sighed and went to grab Epona's reins. Hopefully she'd get the hang of this magic stuff before too long.

~~

“We're here.”

Lin stopped a few paces behind Sheik and stared ahead to see more forest scenery laid out before them. She scanned ahead to see if she saw anything like ruins of settlements or people even, but there was nothing. She raised an eyebrow. What was he talking about? “What do you mean 'we're here'? I don't see anything.”

He brought his index finger to the part of his scarf where his mouth would be to silently tell her to be quiet and closed his eyes to began casting the spell that he was taught that would dispel the illusion before them to allow her to see what it was he was seeing through his magical eye. It took a few moments for his native language to slip past his lips, but when he finished, he held out his right hand before him and his shadow magic centralize it his palm before it flew towards the magical barrier.

Lin's eyes widened as she saw the shadow he formed bashed into something invisible that she couldn't see and almost immediately after that she heard the noise of what sounded like shattering glass and her eyes widened even more when she saw the forest before them began breaking apart into large pieces. ' _What the…?_ '

She stood still in shock at what was happening before her. The scenery continued to fracture and shatter until all at once it broke apart causing Lin to throw her arms up in front of her to protect herself. She heard Epona neigh loudly and pull against the reins in fear of what just happened. Luckily she didn't freak out too much though otherwise Lin would've found herself having to chase down a frightened horse.

A few seconds passed before she lowered her arms to see what now was in front of her after that dramatic display. She gasped as she saw a huge hollowed-out log, big enough for all three of them to pass, sitting inside of a grass covered wall.

That certainly wasn't what she was expected. Heck, she wasn't even expecting the forest to shatter like it did. But, she glanced over at Sheik, if this was the place that he had mentioned them going, then it made sense why that happened. A thrill of excitement coursed through her. This was the place she had to go. She was curious as to what lay on the other side of that log.

“Let's go.”

She nodded vacantly as she tugged on Epona's reins to get her to follow behind her as she went after Sheik. The dull thuds of their feet hitting the bottom of the log echoed throughout the insides of it as they walked through it and at the end of the dark tunnel she could see a bright light shining. Their eyes blinked against its harshness but the trio continued on until they finally reached the exit.

And when they reached it all of them stopped walking and Lin and Sheik expressed a mixture of shock and amazement at what they saw.

It was a small village that was surrounded by tall trees. The houses were made out of trees and were surrounded by small fences and tiny bushes. In the distance there looked like there was another pathway that led deeper into the woods and a small stream flowed in front of it. Another thing that caught their eyes were these little glowing sprite-like things could be seen floating about the area. In short, it looked like a forest paradise.

If Lin didn't grow up where she was now, she could certainly see herself living here. It reminded her so much of home.

She continued to admire the surroundings until she saw something move in the corner of her eye. She quickly turned her head back in the direction where she was the object move. What was that?

She narrowed her eyes at the area trying to see what it was that caught her attention. Then her eyes widened suddenly when she saw whatever it was that she glanced at earlier peek out from behind one of the small buildings and upon realizing that she was looking at them, it darted back behind its hiding space.

Was that… was that a child?

What was a child doing in the middle of the forest?

She whispered to Sheik to see if it wasn't just her that saw that. “Sheik, did you just see…?”

“Indeed I did. The Kokiri are a little shy towards strangers especially considering that their just young children.” 

Lin looked at Sheik with an incredulous expression. Wait, what? What did he mean by that? The Kokiri? But the Kokiri were her people, they weren't children…

...wait a minute.

Suddenly, a memory regarding the stories she read about the Hero of Time came to her. Like her, the Hero of Time was raised in a village of people called the Kokiri. And according to what she remembered of those stories, the Kokiri of that time weren't comprised of people like her village was, but they were actually made up of young children.

So was the Kokiri Sheik referring to same one? But she thought they were extinct like the rest of the ancient tribes of Hyrule. She glanced at the symbol of the Sheikah that Sheik bore on his chest. Of course she thought the same thing about the race of Sheikah a week ago until Sheik came into her life. So she probably shouldn't completely dismiss it. “So the Kokiri aren't extinct either? Why is that?”

Sheik turned to look at her. “The Kokiri and Sheikah were the only tribes, outside of the Hylian race, that survived the Great War. The Sheikah survived due to their battle prowess as well as what part they would play in the destiny regarding the next Hero. The Kokiri survived since they were protected by their guardian deity and didn't participate in the war due to their inability to fight in one. After the war ended, they were given the task of protecting the dungeon where one of the Sages' Relics are by the Sages themselves. Hence why the barrier was put into place. It was created by the Kokiri. They manipulated the forest to cause the illusion of the forest continuing instead of being able to see the village like we are now.”

Lin nodded in interest. She turned to look back at the spot where the child, or Kokiri in this case, was last seen. She waited to see if they would try and look at them again. At the same time she had to try and force herself not to call out to them. She had a feeling if she did, she would only frighten them.

Her eyes widened slightly as she saw something green pop out from behind the tree-shaped home. At first she thought that it was the same Kokiri from before, but this one was different. The child in question moved out from her hiding spot and began walking towards them. 

From the spot where she and Sheik were standing at, she could see that the child was a young girl who had short shoulder-length green hair and wore green clothing that seemed slightly reminiscent of the legendary clothes that the previous Heroes were said to have worn. As the girl continued to get closer, she couldn't help but feel as if she knew her from somewhere, but that feeling didn't make sense to her. She didn't remember ever seeing her before.

The girl kept walking until she got a few feet away from them. She looked at them with her bright, blue eyes with wonder. She didn't know who these strangers were, but she somehow could feel that she could trust them. “Who are you and why did you come to our home?”

Lin was at a loss for words. It was just a simple question the girl had asked. But it still left her wondering what she should respond with. Luckily for her, Sheik was better able to think on his feet. “We were sent here by my tribe, the Sheikah, to bring the new Hero to the first dungeon to retrieve the Sages' Relic.”

The girl looked at them with a look of surprise etched on her face. She looked at the symbol on Sheik's chest. “You're a Sheikah?” Sheik nodded. She turned her attention to Lin. “So you are the new Hero?” Lin nodded.

The girl still looked a little uncertain but before she could voice her doubts, a small little glowing creature came out from behind her and flew over to the two strangers. 

Lin jumped at seeing the small sprite come towards her and was confused as to what it was. Sheik noticed. “It's a fairy. All Kokiri have guardian fairies.”

Her mind blinked to the symbol that was etched on Navi's forehead. She did recall that the symbol was supposed to represent that the Kokiri were protected by fairies, but now knowing that the tradition come from this was not exactly how she imagined it. She thought fairies were just imaginary creatures that the original Kokiri came up with to play pretend with. But now that she saw one for herself, she knew for a fact that it was far from imaginary.

After continuing to float in front of Lin for a few moments more, it flitted over to Sheik and stared at him just as it did her. Once he found whatever it was it was looking for, it went back over to the girl and landed on her shoulder. The girl looked over at the fairy and had her ear leaned over to it to listen to whatever it was saying. And whatever it said appeared to be good news as the look that the girl originally held on her face had been replaced with a smile.

“It seems that you are who you say you are.” The little girl laughed. “Hi, I'm Saria and welcome to my home, the Kokiri Forest!”

Sheik inclined his head slightly. “It's a pleasure to be here. And although I hate to rush this meeting, I must say that we need to see your guardian deity. Would it be possible to see him now?”

Saria smiled and nodded. “Sure!” She looked over to the fairy sitting on her shoulder and sensing what she was wanting, it floated up and began flying towards the pathway that lay behind her. She turned her attention back to the newcomers. “Fable is going to tell the Great Deku Tree of your arrival. When he returns we can go see him. For now though, how about you meet the rest of the village!”

Lin opened her mouth to say something in response to that, but before she could get a word in, the little girl had ran off towards the other children (who it appeared were hiding behind the same house that she was earlier) to try and get them to come out. 

“I'm not sure exactly how I feel about meeting a bunch of kids.” She turned to Sheik when she heard him make a noise in response. “What? It's not like I dealt with them a bunch back home. They always seemed to intimidate me whenever I had to. I was always afraid I'd make a mistake.”

“Hmph.” He debated for a few moments on whether or not he should say anything, but he eventually came to the conclusion that this little bit of information wouldn't hurt him if he were to say it. “If it makes you feel any better, I don't have much experience with little kids either.”

She smiled. “It does a little bit, but still the nervousness remains.” Suddenly she heard the murmuring and laughter of children get closer to them and she turned her head towards that direction. Her eyes widened as she saw a small group of children, the rest of the Kokiri she presumed, standing behind Saria with they eyes gazing up at them in awe.

_“Wow, are these adults? I've never seen an adult before!”_

_“What's that big, brown creature behind them? It looks kinda scary!”_

_“Is that a SWORD?!”_

_“What's that eye on that guy's chest mean?”_

The children's questions continued to ramble out of their mouths until finally Saria put a stop to them but simply saying, “Remember what the Sages told us about one day there would be two outsiders that would come to our village? Well, they are them.”

Collectively all of the children gasped in awe and before Sheik and Lin knew it they were now surrounded by the young children who were now (if they weren't before) completely enthralled with them. Lin tried to watch them around Epona since she knew how she'd react to being freaked out by them running around her and she didn't want any of the Kokiri getting hurt if that were to happen. While in the process of doing this, she didn't notice that Saria had gotten closer to her and was looking up at her with a look of happiness.

“It's nice to see you again, old friend.”

Lin blinked in confusion at her statement and looked down at her. “What do you mean?”

She giggled. “I think you know.”

Her eyes narrowed at the girl as she tried to put the pieces together. She felt herself feeling that same strange emotion again that she felt earlier when she first saw Saria. She didn't know what the emotion was that she was feeling, but now she could pinpoint what it was.

It was nostalgia.

But why was she feeling nostalgic about a person she had never met?

She heard Sheik speak and turned her head away from Saria to look up at him. “Do you not recall from the stories that the Hero of Time lived here once? And with the fact that you are the Hero reincarnated, wouldn't it make sense for you to feel some kind of connection here?”

It did make sense now that he explained it. Since she was the reincarnation of the Hero, it would mean that she had the same soul as the Hero of Time and Light and even all the others before them. It would make sense that she would feel nostalgic towards something that she personally have never encountered, but that in the past another person who shared her soul had.

She looked back down at Saria and smiled. Although she didn't know her, Saria recognized her friend's soul which meant effectively she was her friend too. She waved at her and her smile widened at seeing Saria's eyes glow in delight.

The sound of a fairy getting closer stopped the endless chatter that was coming from the Kokiri and caused all of them to look in the direction the sprite was coming from. Once it got closer it made the announcement that the Great Deku Tree was ready to see them. Lin felt nervousness hit her again.

She had never met this tree herself (although she now knew for certain one of her past incarnations did) so she wasn't sure what to expect. She glanced over at Sheik to see the same look of apprehension on his face. That look there told her that even though he had been taught to expect these things from a young age, he was still cautious and wary of what he would find. She could sympathize with him. Hearing about these things was one thing, seeing them was a whole other experience.

She smiled at him. “Ready to go?” He looked over at her and nodded. The two, along with Epona and the group of Kokiri children made their way to where the Great Deku Tree waited for them.

~~

He was HUGE!

Although huge was a good way to describe how the Great Deku Tree looked like, there probably was another word in the Hylian language that would do better to describe him, but at this time she couldn't think of any. She heard a strange word come from Sheik that sounded like the language of his people and although she didn't know what it meant, she was sure that it more accurately describe the being before them better than her own language did.

“Welcome to my forest, young travelers.”

The tree was talking… _THE TREE WAS TALKING!!_

Lin took a deep breath to stop herself from freaking out. Sure, she expected the tree to have some way to communicate with them, but it still had yet to hit her that this was how it was going to do it. She needed to calm herself down.

Apparently the look of distress could be easily seen on her face for she felt a small tug on her pants. She looked down to see Saria looking at her with a smile. “Say something.”

“What do you say to a tree?”

Saria giggled. “Anything you want!”

She looked back and forth from the girl to the tree until she came to a decision. She laughed nervously and looked up at the tree. “H-Hi!”

“Hello, young Hero! Have you come to take on the trial you need to take to obtain the Sages' Relic?”

She swallowed and she struggled to contain her nervousness from talking to the tree. “Y-yes. Yes, I have.”

A vine came crawling down slowly from the treetops of the Great Deku Tree until it touched the ground. Lin and Sheik were a little confused by this until the giant tree spoke again. “I knew you weren't imposters since you were able to find this place, plus when one of my fairies confirmed your honesty I was certain that you were the ones the Sages told us to wait for.”

The vine moved slightly from the wind. “This vine will take you two up to my tree tops where you both will encounter the dungeon that will test the Hero. Do be careful up there, I'm not certain what tests the Sages created for you both to encounter, but I'm certain that they won't be easy.”

Sheik nodded. “We thank you for your hospitality, Great Deku Tree.”

Lin was certain if the tree could nod, it would, but she was certain that it was sending its prayers towards them for a safe journey. She looked at the vine and took a deep breath. So, this was it.

She turned to look down at Saria and held the reins belonging to Epona towards her. “Can you take care of my horse for me please?” The girl nodded and took the item from her. Lin smiled. “Be careful with her now, she can get spooked if she gets bombarded too much. She could use a drink and some food as well.”

Saria smiled again. “We'll take care of her, I promise. Won't we, Fable?” The aforementioned fairy bobbed up in down to show that it would help. Lin gave them her thanks and looked briefly over at Sheik before the two began walking over to the vine.

Once they reached it, he looked briefly over at her before grabbing the vine and began the process of pulling himself up. Lin watched as he went for a few moments before taking another deep breath to steel her nerves and hoisted herself up onto the vine to follow.

~~

This couldn't be happening!? _It couldn't be!_

Ingo gripped the letter in his hand as he rushed as calmly and quietly as he could down the street towards the shop where he had placed his order about a week ago. Although he knew he still had a couple of more days left until they were completely finished, he knew he had to make a move now. Especially now that he knew that the Kokiri were growing suspicious.

He couldn't lose this chance. If he did, his employer would have his head.

Once he reached the shop in question, he burst through the door and quickly closed it behind him. Luckily Groose was standing behind the desk dealing with another customer, so he didn't have to waste time calling for him. However, he hoped that the customer there left soon because his patience was beginning to wear thin. He discretely put the letter in his pocket and tapped his foot in impatience as he waited for the customer to finish his business.

Apparently the Goddesses were with him today for the customer was only here to pick up one item and after retrieving it, he left. And once the door was closed behind him, Ingo began. “I'm here to pick up my order.”

Groose raised an eyebrow at him. “We still have a few days left and there are still a few left to build.”

Ingo huffed. “Well then let me pick up the ones that are finished now and I'll pay for you for those and then I'll come to pick up the other ones once they're finished. I need to have those now. The plans my employer had have are… moving faster than he thought, and he needs what is available now.”

Groose grumbled. Normally he didn't let an order go until they were completely finished due to having incidents occur in the past where people did just that and never came back to pick up the leftovers which caused him to be out of money. ...but seeing as Ingo had already proven himself as trustworthy in the past by always paying on time and by sending him new clients, he was inclined to let this slide once. “You'll pay for the rest when they're done, right? I don't want to be left out of money when the time comes that I need it, plus I want my employees to be paid for their hard work.”

Ingo was pleased with this, but he was still on a time limit. “Yeah, yeah, I'll pay for them. That you can be assured of. My employer wants all of them, but for the time being he just needs what is finished. How many do you have completed now?”

Groose turned to look at the documents regarding Ingo's order that he had laid on on the workbench behind him. Without looking back he called out. “12. The other 3 still have some last minute touches to be done.”

“That'll have to do then. How much do you need?” He heard Groose rattle off a number he calculated for the price and Ingo reached to grab the rupees that sat in his wallet. Even if there were only 3 completely done, he would still be doing the same exact thing. He had very little time left and if what the feeling he got from the letter he read rang true, he needed to make a move before the target his employer was seeking got out of his reach.


End file.
